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In schools and districts throughout the United States, LSI’s Applied Research Center is transforming core instruction and leadership practices. It’s always exciting to see the results, and to hear about community celebrations like this one in Illinois. Keep up the fantastic work, Bowlesburg Elementary!

The transformation began when the school partnered with Learning Sciences International (LSI), an education consultancy that provides professional development services at schools.

In January 2018, Bowlesburg staff visited the Mesabi East School District, in northern Minnesota. The district is a “Demonstration School for Rigor,” a partnership in which LSI gives teacher training and evaluations in an effort to help close the achievement gap. 

For Bowlesburg staff, the visit was a catalyst to rethink how they lead their classrooms.

Before she visited Mesabi East, Cami Tapscott was skeptical. To her surprise, the trip was a spur of ideas. She came back to Silvis convinced that radical-sounding changes could work even in a kindergarten classroom.

“I came back and I tore my entire room down,” Tapscott told the EMSD board. “I started over. The amount of growth we made in just a semester was unbelievable.”

The school held a tailgate party on Monday to celebrate this progress. To read more about it, visit the Rock Island Dispatch Argus.