[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 53 (Wednesday, May 3, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E619]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMENDING CALHOUN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

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                           HON. ED WHITFIELD

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                         Wednesday, May 3, 2000

  Mr. WHITFIELD. Mr. Speaker, I rise to commend a school in my 
District--Calhoun Elementary School, located in McLean County, 
Kentucky. The school was honored on May 2 as a Distinguished Title I 
School by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Association 
of State Title I Directors (NASTID) at an awards luncheon in 
conjunction with the annual meeting of the International Reading 
Association. Each Distinguished School is nominated by its state.
  The Title I program provides critical help to schools with students 
from low-income families. Title I funds are targeted at boosting poor 
achievement and improving basic skills. The purpose of the 
Distinguished Title I Schools award is to honor the successes of these 
schools and provide valuable information so other schools may learn 
what has made these schools so effective.
  Calhoun Elementary School is made up of students in kindergarten 
through fifth grade. Programs at Calhoun Elementary include a computer 
lab which is incorporated into the science, social studies, reading, 
and math curriculums. Calhoun Elementary has increased parental 
involvement by over 100%. The Family Reading Night has tripled in size 
since its inception last year. Other activities involving parents 
include parent and child computer night, sweatshirt decorating, and 
speakers on topics of interest to parents, all of which are planned by 
the Title I Parent Liaison. Calhoun students participate in a keyboard 
lab to learn music, history, notes and background. This has enabled 
students to become more proficient in science and math. Calhoun 
students have improved achievement scores by at least 16 points.
  Title I has enabled the school to adopt extensive programmatic and 
systematic changes to help ensure the success of their students. New 
teaching strategies have incorporated tasks which require higher order 
thinking skills used in critical problem solving. Teachers engage 
students in challenging activities which capture the students' 
interests. Teachers have also focused attention on addressing the needs 
of a student body with multiple intelligences and diverse learning 
capabilities.
  The students, teachers, administrators, and parents at Calhoun 
Elementary School should be proud of their extraordinary achievement. 
Their determination and community-based solutions set an outstanding 
example for other schools to follow.

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