Taylor Colburn, an interventionist at Forest Oaks Elementary in Chelsea, gives extra reading assistance to students. Shelby County Schools are funding successful learning programs which were introduced during the pandemic.
When the COVID pandemic swept across the world more than four years ago, schools faced an unprecedented challenge. Students were falling behind in learning, and high rates of absenteeism and lower test scores plagued schools nationwide.
Congress passed several funding bills that were designed to help instruction in schools during the pandemic. One of those programs was the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER), which gave money specifically designed for student instruction.
On Sept. 30, the ESSER funds ran out, but that has not stopped Shelby County Schools from continuing the beneficial programs that the federal funding originally brought with it — all aimed at helping students in the classroom.
“They all benefit students individually,” said Lynn Carroll, the deputy superintendent and assistant superintendent of instruction for Shelby County Schools. “Everything that we have — the ability of having those funds and that we are continuing — is because we found benefits to our students, and that’s what we’re all about.”
The school system will now use local money to keep the programs that ESSER had funded because it believes the programs have contributed to learning gains.
Carroll said the programs were all a part of a formula that has been successful. She used the filling of a box as a metaphor.
“We thought, ‘We don’t want to take anything out because we like the results that came out of the box,’” she said.
The programs include:
Funding for interventionists, a tutor-like role that helps students who may be struggling with reading.
A program that installs audio speakers in classrooms to allow students to hear teachers better.
Equipping all students in the district with Chromebooks.
Mental health assistance available on-location in the schools.
Carroll said the system now has 15 interventionists in all of their elementary schools and three in the secondary schools, with a plan to add more in the secondary schools.
The audio program began when teachers were regularly wearing masks in the classroom and students had trouble hearing them. The school system found the speakers helped to keep students engaged even when the teachers weren’t wearing masks, Carroll said.
The mental health assistance program created a network of third-party counselors that give aid to students in their schools.
Melissa Youngblood, the assistant superintendent of student services, said they have been able to contract with 15 mental health professionals to serve the district’s students.
Youngblood said the mental health services not only help students adapt but also cut down on discipline issues and time missed at school.
“When kids miss school, it takes a lot for the teacher to go back and reteach the skill or provide some additional support,” Youngblood said.
But, she said, having personnel outside of the school system creates a comfort zone that some students may not have with staff. The goal is to give the students skills they may not have had before to help them deal with adversity.
“We want to help them develop those skills so they can transition off and self-advocate for themselves,” Youngblood said.
