They Remember What They Touch: The Impact of Place-Based Learning in East Feliciana Parish.
Rural School and Community Trust
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Research Scope:
- 5 elementary/middle schools with over 2000 students, including 80% African American, 85% free lunch
- 52 teachers participated in 1 or more of 3 consecutive summer trainings
Research Design
The Rural School and Community Trust works at the grassroots level to reform schools and communities across the country. In 1999-2000, they began Project Connect, a district wide place-based math and science initiative in Louisiana. Traditionally, this region had scored lower than the state average in all areas. 52 teachers participated in 1 or more of 3 consecutive summer trainings and research investigated 4th grade ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies scores on Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP 21), 1998-2002. The study compared district to state for % of students at “unsatisfactory” level.
Summary of Findings
- Performance gap between district and state decreased for all areas
- Greatest individual school success occurred at Slaughter Elementary where three of the district’s place-based leadership team teach