Muscogee County pilots paired early‑literacy and community‑schools supports; district and United Way report measurable gains at Brewer

Dr. Tammy Pawlowski, a director of a state‑funded Center of Excellence for preparing teachers of children in poverty, and United Way partners told the Muscogee County School District Board of Education on July 21 that an intensive, sustained combination of teacher coaching, small classes and community wraparound services produced measurable literacy growth at Brewer Early Innovation Academy.

Pawlowski said the center’s approach — which she described as sustained, data‑driven professional learning that addresses “the absence of any resource that can stand in the way of a student being successful in school” — aims to change teacher practice and student mindsets rather than rely on one‑time trainings or facilities alone. “Poverty is the absence of any resource that can stand in the way of a student being successful in school,” Pawlowski said.

The United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley’s Community Schools United team and Brewer principal Caprice Bentley Brown presented school‑level results and described daily on‑site supports delivered by a community school coordinator. Sydney Mauck, senior director of Community Schools United, and Ben Moser, United Way president and CEO, said coordinators provide year‑round services inside partner schools including referrals for housing, clothing, food, and after‑school slots through the Boys & Girls Club partnership.

Parent testimony accompanied the presentations. A parent, identified in the meeting as Ms. Hall, told the board her child entered Brewer unable to read and “my baby went from not being able to read. She can actually read now.” Jarvis, named as the community school coordinator at Brewer, was cited by Hall for providing uniforms, transportation and referrals.

Brewer data the board received: a 14:1 student‑teacher ratio, cohort placement of K–2 students based on an early literacy screener (students scoring roughly between the 8th and 25th percentile are placed at Brewer), and results the school described as growth rather than categorical proficiency jumps for older cohorts. District presenters gave specific reading‑growth figures the board could review: 259 of 289 students at Brewer posted more than a 100‑point Lexile gain across the year (about 89%), and kindergarten Lexile growth included 14 students who gained 900 or more Lexile points and 26 who gained 601–900 points. For first grade, the number of students in the “beginning learner” category fell from 66 in the fall to 50 in the spring while students in “developing” rose from 17 to 48, district presenters said.

Brewer’s principal described additional program elements: a structured literacy focus as a Rollins Center cohort, daily social‑emotional learning, and a full‑time media specialist supporting reading engagement. Superintendent David Lewis told the board the district has placed similar supports into one or two classrooms at partner elementary schools to smooth the second‑to‑third‑grade transition and avoid removing supports too soon.

Why it matters: district leaders said the Brewer pilot pairs intensive classroom instruction with community‑based supports to address out‑of‑school barriers (housing, clothing, food security) that affect learning. Presenters argued the combined model — early screening, small group explicit instruction and daily on‑site family supports — increases the likelihood students will remain in regular education and that gains will persist as they move into partner schools.

No formal vote to expand Brewer was taken at the July 21 meeting. Board members and staff said they plan to continue data collection and to track students as they matriculate to partner schools.

Provenance: Presentation and parent testimony occurred in the board’s July 21 presentations and public comment (transcript excerpts beginning with Dr. Pawlowski’s remarks and the United Way/Brewer update).