Downey School
Together for Tomorrow is a national initiative of the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships together with the U.S. Department of Education and the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), that recognizes community-led partnership to support struggling schools. Our local initiative is a collaboration between Messiah College (Grantham, PA) and the Harrisburg School District starting with Downey Elementary School.
Initiative Aims
The aims of the Together for Tomorrow initiative are to improve student achievement through attendance, behavior, course completion, employability and college access.
Meet our Action Teams!
Action teams consist of staff from Downey school who focus on accomplishing Downey goals as they relate to The Leader in Me and Together for Tomorrow. The teams develop their goals and strategize methods of accomplishing them. Through Together for Tomorrow, these teams connect with the Harrisburg community and Messiah College to accomplish together!
Social/Emotional
21st Century Life Skills
Academic
Data Team
This team is focused on improving student behavior and leadership skills within Downey. The team provides students with incentives for positive behavior and is working on a school-wide positive behavior plan. The behavior plan has been named, "Power of Proactive" and will be implemented over the 2014 – 2015 school year.
Team Chair: Shannon Luciani
The main emphasis of the data team is working to improve academic success through determining interventions for improving student data. School test results and attendance are updated on a monthly basis and posted throughout the school building. The team also analyzes results in order to find where improvement has to happen and consider why scores are at their current levels. In addition, the team is currently working on the new ENI curriculum roll out.
Team Chair: Jessica Dalinsky
Culture of Leadership
This team is working to improve school environment through a number of ways. These include
increasing the culture of leadership among students, developing a positive school environment
conducive to learning, increased staff leadership, and parental involvement within Downey.
Team Chair: Alicia Cramer
