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Goodr Middle School staff describe targeted interventions and report winter math gains for Black male students
Summary
Goodr Middle School leaders told the board they shifted special-education models, added small-group interventions and mentoring, and reported winter math proficiency/growth figures for middle-school boys; presenters asked the board for help recruiting Black male mentors and more consistent student representation on district committees.
Carrie Romo, principal at Goodr Middle School, and members of her diverse-learner team told the board the school is shifting practices to center student strengths and increase self-efficacy for students with IEPs.
Teachers Haley Mahia and Sydney Jamison described changes to co-teaching and the addition of targeted reading and math small-group instruction, one-on-one goal-setting conferences, mentoring and three "immersive experiences" (community assemblies, courthouse visits and business-owner conversations) intended to broaden students' aspirations. "Instead of forcing students to fit into the system Goodr adapts and creates a new system to meet each individual need of our students," Mahia said.
Counselor Julie summarized a multi-part intervention focused on Black male students that combined assessment-based goal-setting, mentoring (two times per month where available), small-group counseling on organization and time management, and immersive experiences. She told the board the school's winter assessment data showed what the team called "27" for eighth-grade boys and "53" for seventh-grade boys in their winter math proficiency/growth results; the team framed those figures as evidence of notable growth but the transcript phrasing was not fully precise and the presenters emphasized the combination of academic and relational supports.
Barriers and request: Board members asked whether mentor recruitment was an obstacle. School staff said a core barrier was matching Black male mentors who can participate during school hours because of work schedules; staff asked the board to help with community recruitment and noted the district can provide support for transportation and other accommodations for committee participants.
Why it matters: The presentation emphasized culturally affirming practices and raised the district's monitoring goals for student outcomes, noting the interventions drove increased student confidence and visible engagement in class. Board members praised the Goodr team and encouraged continued innovation and community involvement.
What remains open: The presenters and the board agreed to follow up on specific mentor-recruitment strategies and to pursue additional student voice on district committees.
