Goodland Montessori, Case High outline goals as board hears monthly student achievement reports

Goodland Montessori and Case High School presented their fall student achievement reports to the Racine Unified School District Board of Education at the board's Oct. 20 meeting, describing site-specific goals and steps to improve math, literacy and school climate.

The presentations matter because both schools signaled priorities the district will monitor this year: Goodland emphasized building staff capacity for Montessori instruction while raising math outcomes; Case emphasized increasing ACT and math performance, improving attendance and expanding schoolwide belonging initiatives.

At Goodland Montessori, Lisa Johnson, principal of Goodland Montessori, described a three-part goal set for June 2026 that centers on staff supports and Montessori-specific instructional alignment. Johnson said the school did not meet a district literacy benchmark last year (reporting 52% on combined early-literacy indicators) and set a new math target of 50% meeting or exceeding standards on the 2025–26 Forward math assessment after a 45% result in 2024–25. Johnson said staff will use Montessori-in-public-sector walkthroughs, FBM (fund belonging mastery) audits and PLCs to build instructional capacity.

Karen Hardcastle, a Goodland staff member, and students highlighted the school's adolescent program, describing student-run enterprises (a daily coffee cart and a Shark Tank-style investor pitch) that fund immersion trips and experiential learning. Johnson told the board the school will continue sponsoring teachers for Montessori certification and expects to graduate its first eighth-grade class.

Case High School presented a separate packet of goals. Cass, directing principal at Case High School, said the school posted small gains on the ACT — a 1-point increase in English (26.5 to 27.5) and a 1-point increase in math-related metrics — but did not meet attendance targets for 2024–25. Case's leadership plans schoolwide strategies to embed literacy and math practice across all classes, expand IB/Diploma Programme access for juniors and seniors, run weekly attendance meetings with counselors and support staff, and use “character strong” social-emotional modules once a week across classrooms to bolster belonging.

Board members pressed both sites on implementation logistics. A board member asked Goodland how Montessori students will transition to non‑Montessori high schools; Johnson replied older-grade Montessori classrooms resemble traditional classrooms and that teachers are preparing students for that move. Case officials detailed interventions for chronically absent students, use of advocates to pull freshmen for remedial support, team teaching, and teacher collaboration on unit planners and assessments to raise math performance.

The presentations concluded with board praise for the programs and requests for continued updates on progress and data. The board did not take formal policy action on either presentation during the meeting.