Louisiana State Superintendent Cade Brumley, State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) President Simone Champagne, and BESE Vice President Kevin Berken visited Willow during an education tour throughout Acadiana. Willow’s improvement and sustained growth in math over the past two years caught leaders’ attention, so they had to see the school in action.
Brumley, Champagne, and Berken met with school leadership to learn about what went into improving math scores and how Willow sustains growth for students. Education leaders also wanted to know more about Moral Focus™, the backbone of National Heritage Academies’® (NHA) character-focused curriculum.
These education leaders walked through Willow’s classes and saw what a typical day at the school was like. Principal Jessica Dominique said she didn’t tell scholars about the visit, and these special guests noticed how genuine the learning environment was.
“One piece of feedback we were provided was that our classrooms felt authentic,” Dominique said. “They said it felt like what they saw that particular day happens every day. There were no signs our school was that way for just that day.”
This aura of authenticity made for a greater sense of connection for Brumley, Champagne, Berken, and their BESE colleagues. Dominique attributed her school’s environment to the alignment from students, staff, and leaders.
“I believe it’s the culture that we set schoolwide and having one vision,” Dominique said. “Everyone that’s in this building is working and everything they’re doing is aligned to the vision that we have for our school.”
BESE leaders also took some time to discuss Louisiana’s new accountability system, “Grow. Achieve. Thrive.”, and how it might impact Willow’s approach. Dean of Middle School Andrea Robert said Willow school leaders spoke about how they analyze data and how they plan to adapt to the State’s new accountability plan.
Willow school leaders shared insight on their data analysis and gave Brumley, Champagne, and Berken a glimpse at the process. Willow’s leadership team use the terms “push” and “pull” when discussing their intervention efforts and how to best support students. BESE leaders were impressed and said they are terms they’re going to use in the future.
It was truly a day of pride for Willow, as it was one of few schools selected for this education tour. Dominique said Brumley, Champagne, Berken, and their colleagues visited fewer than 10 schools, making the visit at Willow even more meaningful.
“We couldn’t be more proud,” Dominique said. “It was amazing to show off the great things happening here at Willow. I was very proud that all the work we put in was showing up at the right time in front of the right faces.”
Way to go, Willow! Way to show off your amazing school and inspire state leaders!
About Willow Charter Academy
Willow Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school in Lafayette, Louisiana, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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