Preferred Provider for Targeted Assistance During FY’15, Lawrence Family Development & Education Fund, Inc. submitted a rigorous application and was approved as a School Turnaround Operator to offer statewide education improvement services to manage and operate low‐performing, underperforming and chronically‐underperforming schools. LFDEF, Inc., the Management Organization of the Lawrence Family Development Charter School, submitted this application to deliver services identified by the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (ESE) as Targeted Assistance for school and district improvement. LFDEF, Inc.’s very first project as a School Turnaround Operator was local—in the City of Lawrence. This year we began a three‐year project with the Lawrence Public Schools to disseminate LFDEF, Inc.’s charter school’s best practices in early childhood education. In partnership a new neighborhood school, focusing on early childhood education, opened for families in the Tower Hill neighborhood. The Lawrence Family Public Academy is located at 526 Lowell Street and offers a free, full‐day, PreKindergarten (K‐1) and Kindergarten (K‐2) program for four and five year old students. Like the Lawrence Family Development Charter School, the school prioritizes: Parent Engagement, Dual Language, Effective Teaching, Partnerships and a Leadership Structure which includes parents. The LFPA program opened on Monday, August 25, 2014 and operates Monday‐Friday from 7:45 am–3:15 pm. Overall enrollment in K‐1 for FY’15 was 73 students and for K‐2 was 126 students. To maximize dissemination, three employees from LFDCS were selected for leadership roles in this new project. RtI for progress monitoring was also launched using DIBELS Letter Naming Fluency (LNF) and DIBELS First Sound Fluency (FSF). 70% of K‐1 students at or above benchmark on LNF and FS 80% of K‐2 students at or above benchmark on LNF and FSF Quarterly meetings are held with LPS to share best practices. Melissa Ankenbauer, K-1/K-2 Lead Teacher, LFPA Through my years of teaching at LFDCS, along with the help of some great co-workers and mentors along the way, I have grown tremendously as a teacher. I now take this knowledge, along with the successful charter school curriculum, to share teaching practices in my new teaching community. I look forward to seeing the continued student growth that is being achieved through this wonderful partnership! Lisa Conran, Principal, LFPA In this position and as the leader of Lawrence Family Public Academy, this partnership school site replicates, for the Lawrence Public Schools, the rigor, structure and high expectations of Lawrence Family Development Charter School. I am proud of our early success and look forward to many years of creating a unified team. Kelly Meehan, K-1/K-2 Lead Teacher, LFPA I am engaged with my colleagues to fuse the charter school and public schools of Lawrence for a solid partnership that is beneficial to young scholars! The families of our school make great efforts to connect with their child’s classroom teacher. I stress to families that the curriculum at our school is rigorous, and by maintaining consistent expectations between school and home, we will support students as they grow and learn. LFDEF, INC FY’2014‐2015 ANNUAL REPORT PAGE 11
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