Like all Jamestown Public Schools, Bush is in its third year of a district-wide literacy curriculum implementation based in the Science of Reading, alongside a new math program.

To navigate these shifts, staff are leaning into targeted and personalized instruction — using data to pinpoint and meet individual student needs.

Improvement is already evident — and getting there has been a team effort.

“The growth we are seeing this year is a direct result of our staff’s commitment to walking this path together,” said Kate Benson, Bush’s principal. “Through these new initiatives, collaboration has been the key. By focusing on the curriculum with integrity, we are fulfilling our district’s vision to ensure that we are seeing every child learning every day.”

Bush School first graders hard at work on a literacy project.

A longtime teacher at Bush, Tiffany MacCallum recently stepped into a districtwide instructional coach position in which she supports teachers across the district’s elementary and middle schools. Based out of Bush, she now “walks alongside” her colleagues to help them navigate the new curriculum with integrity.

“My focus is on helping teachers, whether in year 1 or year 20, meet the individual needs of students while staying true to our commitment to using the curriculum with integrity,” MacCallum said. “To do this, we look closely at how lessons are designed, what students are showing us through their work and data, and how to make small, intentional adjustments — like targeted small groups or specific scaffolds — without losing sight of grade-level expectations.”

The result? The data is moving in the right direction, with more students reading at or above grade level with each passing month of the school year. More than that, though, MacCallum noted the real result is seen in the hallways.

“You see it when a child raises their hand more often, reads with greater confidence, or finally believes they can do this,” she said.

Dr. Vickie Courtney, a reading specialist at Bush, emphasized that this targeted instruction isn’t a solo task. She and fellow reading specialist Brooke Andrews work collaboratively with classroom teachers to ensure no student is left behind.

“Talking through things together helps us meet student needs,” Courtney said. “Sometimes what works with one student does not work with another so talking with a partner helps us find the best instructional strategy for the kiddo.”

The team brings a sense of joy to the work that filters down to the students.

“Working together helps us to see potential solutions that one might have missed. Plus, we have ridiculous fun during our teaching,” Courtney said. “One day this week, we wore Lowe’s hard hats while we were working. Also, we have random trinkets around the room that we make stories about. It helps us, and the students, have fun with our day.”

The ultimate goal of this collaboration is to see students take ownership of their own success. When the data improves, the celebration is shared across the entire school.

“(The kids) are so proud. We celebrate student success together,” said Courtney. “It doesn’t matter whose group, we are all in it together. We often have popcorn when kids make a big goal.”

MacCallum agrees that the most rewarding part of the work is seeing growth show up in the children themselves and as they continue this work the effort remains personal for all staff members.

“Behind every classroom and every data point, is a group of educators who care deeply about their students,” MacCallum said. “I can say with confidence that we see every child learning every day, and we are working together to help make that happen.”