Elementary principals report steady attendance gains, focus on SEL and targeted interventions

Three elementary principals — Orchard Hill, Phoenix Elementary School (PES) and Talent Elementary — presented a joint update to the Phoenix-Talent School District board, outlining student demographics, Panorama survey results, academic indicators and initiatives to lift attendance and core instruction.

Kent Valera, principal at Orchard Hill, told the board the report would cover demographics, achievement and the Panorama student-culture survey. He summarized the three-school aggregation and described the four questions used to measure belonging: whether school adults understand students, whether adults support students, whether students respect one another and whether students feel they belong.

The group shared that the district's aggregated Panorama belonging score sits near the national 50th percentile; principals said scores fluctuate and they will continue to investigate drivers. Engagement measures (excitement about classes, focus, participation and interest) were also presented; the presenters noted that small cohorts produce volatile percentage swings.

Administrators described instructional improvements: they cited Oregon RTI Project supports and a new subject-specific coaching structure (literacy and math coaches) to strengthen unit planning and core instruction. They said the district has engaged edX for professional-learning work to build teacher collaboration and PLC norms before deeper grade-level data analysis.

Principals outlined social–emotional learning (SEL) implementation: the district uses Wayfinder and still partners with RULER; SEL standards guide daily practices including self-regulation, social skills and restorative responses. The presenters emphasized the operational cost of inclusion: more staff, training and intervention resources are required when buildings adopt inclusive practices.

Attendance was a major focus. The principals described targeted efforts to raise students in the 80–90% attendance band (a manageable cohort), daily office check-ins and tiered incentives. They provided a district plan to aim interventions at that group and cited family nights and community campaigns as part of outreach. Principals said they would pursue more community partnerships (coffee shops, businesses) to create local incentive and awareness efforts.

Ending: The principals asked the board to continue advocacy for funding, to help spread awareness of school programs, and to recognize staff. Board members asked clarifying questions about identification of students with special education needs and the staffing implications if state caps change; principals said increased special-education percentages would allow more staff and supports but budgets and federal funding trends matter.