Carlton School model lauded by Boston Foundation
May 31—SALEM — For being leaders in innovation, the Carlton Innovation School recently became $80,000 richer.
The Boston Foundation announced recently that Carlton picked up the Pozen Prize for Innovative Schools, an $80,000 cash prize celebrating "the outstanding achievement of the school's students and of the Carlton Innovation School's innovative approach to student advancement."
The Pozen Prize for Innovative Schools was created by Boston Foundation donors Robert and Elizabeth Pozen to recognize schools that consistently boost students' achievements through innovative models, programs and practices. Carlton, one of the state's lowest performing schools in 2012, turned its future around with a six-year plan to become an innovation school. With that, the school changed its grade structures, how students advance year to year, and more.
Seven years later, in 2019, Carlton had risen from the 6th percentile — worse than 94% of schools in the state — to 54th, the highest performing elementary school in the Salem district. The model was then adopted at Bentley Academy, which made the switch to an innovation school a couple of years ago after a similarly low state-wide standing.
"The Carlton School became an innovation school 10 years ago to serve students better by being more flexible," said Robert Pozen, who presented the award. "The mission of the school is to meet the needs of each individual student toward a continuous progress approach to learning."
Over at Carlton, kindergarteners are enrolled three times a year to capture them at the moment they turn five, according to Pozen. Students also move from grade to grade on a trimester schedule, allowing them to climb the ladder at their own pace.
"They can spend extra time in a grade, or they can move ahead to the next one on their own timeline," Pozen said. "These trimester transitions make sure the teachers focus on personalized instruction for each children's needs, instead of a one-size-fits-all approach."
School principal Bethann Jellison said her staff "are incredible, hard working, and more than anything, they're a wonderful team."
"If we're providing the support and commitment to each individual student daily, we can see the confidence growing, students taking responsibility for their learning as life-long learners," Jellison said. "Our school is smaller, but we're mighty."
Speaking moments later, Salem Superintendent Steve Zrike said the Carlton model is one "we need to pay more attention to, particularly in this moment in time where our students are in such different places."
"The model at Carlton is so respectful and so connected to where each student is, and recognizes that young people learn at very different paces, and that's OK," Zrike said. "We celebrate and support kids wherever they are, and it acknowledges there's a continuum of learning. We shouldn't accept that learning and academic development and socio-economic growth is linear."
Contact Dustin Luca at 978-338-2523 or DLuca@salemnews.com. Follow him at facebook.com/dustinluca or on Twitter @DustinLucaSN.
