Fryou, N. P. (2016, May 26). Closing the achievement gap in a high-poverty school.

High poverty.High performing. These are two phrases that describe Hattie Watts Elementary today but it wasn’t always that way. In 2006, there were large gaps between the performance of our white students and our black students and economically disadvantaged students. One reason was a persistent lack of belief in our students. Our kids face challenges at home and at school. To dispel this negative stereotyping, our leadership team and faculty told our school community it didn’t matter if our students came from an impoverished or affluent community. If you show children you believe in them, they can and will achieve. By being a part of this school, it set out to instill that belief school wide. As a result, we have made significant progress and continue to earn accolades today.