Salem Avenue Elementary presents 'Blitz' strategy and wraparound services that boosted outcomes amid concentrated poverty
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Summary
Salem Avenue Elementary (Washington County) showcased a home-visit opening, 'Blitz' launch, expanded wraparound 'After the Bell' program, summer camps and a focused science-of-reading effort; MSDE staff said the school outperforms similar schools despite lower per-pupil funding.
School and MSDE representatives presented a detailed profile of Salem Avenue Elementary on April 25, highlighting strategies the school uses to support students from high‑poverty neighborhoods.
Principal Tom Garner and several teachers described practices that staff credit with improving engagement and learning: in‑person home visits and a large community kickoff ('Blitz') at the start of the year to build relationships; routine use of paraprofessionals as co‑teachers; structured flexible grouping across grades; intensive independent-reading and conferencing routines in intermediate grades; a sustained science‑of‑reading professional learning program for teachers; and a multi‑pronged 'After the Bell' wraparound program that provides tutoring, clubs and transportation and runs until 5:30 p.m.
The school also described summer camps (six weeks, serving about 100 students with pre/post assessments), and reported local funding sources including a concentration-of-poverty grant supplemented with Title I and other monies. Presenters said data show Salem Avenue’s economically disadvantaged students outperform statewide averages on several indicators and that the school achieves those outcomes while receiving about 17% less local/state funding than peer schools. MSDE staff noted the profile is intended as a policy case study to identify scalable practices for other schools.
Board members asked about program funding and student mobility. School leaders said the concentration grant covers the core expansion (afterschool and summer camps) and that family engagement and staff stability were critical to their gains. Principal Garner described persistent student mobility — the school’s cohort analysis showed substantial churn — and credited relationship-building and targeted interventions for helping transient students.
MSDE said it will continue to present such school profiles to connect practice-level innovations with statewide policy levers under the Blueprint.
