Eagle Ranch school Eagle Ranch School PrPess Report The 2015-16 school year was exciting for Eagle Ranch School. For the third time since its founding in 2001, the school received accreditation status with the Southern Association of Colleges and School (SACS), a division of AdvancED. The school also launched an expanded reading program to help increase student literacy. Both endeavors yielded impressive results. ogrogres Report The school was commended for powerful practices in the areas of Teaching and Learning Impact, Leadership Capacity and Resource Utilization. Eagle Ranch School scored well above national averages in each of these areas, receiving the maximum score of 400 in Resource Utilization. “I have never seen a perfect 400 in the area of Resource Utilization,” noted Pat Summers, External Review Lead Evaluator for AdvancED. “The school has well qualified staff, material and fiscal resources, and a state-of-the-art facility and technology infrastructure. This enables Eagle Ranch to provide services that support its purpose and direction to ensure success for all students. Eagle Ranch School has been impressive in every way.” What SACS Accreditation Means SACS is a nationally-recognized accreditation focused on increasing student performance. To earn accreditation, schools must meet high standards, be evaluated by a team of professionals from outside the school and implement a continuous process of school improvement. “Accreditation demonstrates to our students, parents and community that we are focused on raising student achievement, providing an enriching learning environment, and maintaining an efficient and effective operation staffed by highly qualified educators,” said Eagle Ranch Director of Education Jon DeWaal. Reading Levels on the Rise During the 2014-15 school year, Eagle Ranch School tested the Read 180 reading intervention program from Scholastic. Early results were encouraging, leading the school to expand the program this year, combining the online curriculum with classroom instruction and printed materials. The additional effort paid off. Nearly 60 percent of the overall student population is reading at or above their grade levels. Compared to national standards, Eagle Ranch students excelled. National standards benchmark 8th grade reading levels. On average 35, percent of U.S. 8th graders can read at or above grade level, compared to 63 percent of Eagle Ranch School 8th graders. Endowing Education Tommy and Chantal Bagwell have a special heart for education. Tommy’s mother, former head of the Georgia PTA and on the Board of the national organization, passionately advocated for education to be available to all. Chantal homeschooled the couple’s four children and is involved in several educational causes. Longtime supporters of Eagle Ranch, the Bagwells have recently focused their efforts on Eagle Ranch School. Tommy and Chantal Bagwell “ By having a school right on the campus, the children have the ongoing support that meets the many needs they have when they come to the Ranch. ” The Bagwells provide a yearly gift to fund the school’s curriculum and technology, ensuring students have up-to-date content and technology. This type of gift is known as “funds functioning as an endowment,” in which the donor commits to underwriting an ongoing need with the potential goal of endowing the need in perpetuity. “I consider myself to have an outcomes philosophy. We will provide regular funding to programs that are true to the mission and results that we agreed to support,” Tommy said. “This gives us an ability to shift the area of funding if needed.” The Bagwells have three criteria for education funding: proximity to North Georgia, need for the program and likelihood for success. They believe Eagle Ranch School meets all of these. “By having a school right on the campus, the children have the ongoing support that meets the many needs they have when they come to the Ranch,” said Tommy. “They provide an environment that helps them get on track and reintegrate when they are ready to return to public school.” “I’m impressed with how they can help students advance so quickly,” noted Chantal. Through curriculum that adapts to each student’s needs, Eagle Ranch students can catch up, and even exceed, their grade level. make an active endowment today Underwriting Your Area of Interest Like the Bagwells, you can designate funds to act as an endowment. To discuss potential underwriting opportunities, please contact Eddie Staub at 770.967.8500 or estaub@eagleranch.org.
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