Goal: Every child succeeds academically through support in and out of school.
SMART Targets:
Increase 3rd grade reading proficiency from 41.5% in spring of 2021 to 75% by spring of 2025.
Decrease the number of D’s and F’s in math of 7th and 8th graders by 50% by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
Muscatine Elementary Programming:
Last school year, we worked with Jefferson and Franklin Elementary schools to pilot offering enrichment opportunities connected to topics students were learning in ELA, math, science, and social studies. We built on that success and scaled the enrichment offerings to all 6 elementary schools K-6th grades in the Muscatine Community School District.
The goals of this project were to:
Increase students’ hands-on experiences with community partners/businesses related to their curriculum.
Connect students to the broader community.
Expose students to various careers.
The results of this projects were:
21 unique experiences
Led by 12 community partners
With 1743 students impacted
Community Partners:
City of Muscatine City Council and Staff
Diversity Services Center of Iowa
EICC Iowa Intermediary Network
Family Eye Center
ISU Extension and Outreach Muscatine County
It Takes a Village Animal Rescue
James Zahara and The Beast
Muscatine Art Center
Muscatine Community College
Muscatine County Conservation
Muscatine County Courthouse
Muscatine Police Dept and Muscatine County Sheriff K-9 Units
SPARK Program:
There is a need within our community for academic and recreational programs during the summer for elementary-age children. Various reasons exist for this need. Some students require academic assistance to prevent summer learning loss, while others seek opportunities to engage in hands-on activities such as learning to engineer a car out of robotic legos or cook homemade pasta. Some students require a combination of both. The SPARK program has been bridging these gaps in academics and experiences for students since the summer of 2021. This summer, 328 students participated in the program.
AIM continues to support the afternoon enrichment class time of SPARK. In the morning, students engage in reading and math activities. In the afternoon, they rotate through engaging hands-on enrichment classes that expose them to STEM, creative, and career exploration activities.
Class Guests/Field Trips:
B100
Culterall
HNI
ISU Ext & Outreach Master Gardeners
ISU Water Rocks
Kent Corp
Muscatine Ag Center
Muscatine Art Center
Muscatine Community College-Chemistry Department
Muscatine Community College-Intermediary Network
Muscatine County Conservation
Muscatine Fire Department
Muscatine Police Department
Muscatine Power and Water
Musser Library
Rachelle Chase, Susan Clark book author
Stanley Center for Peace and Security
United Way of Muscatine Intern Day of Caring Volunteers
MCC Career Exploration Class Guests:
Community Health Center
Deloitte
Iowa College Aid
John Deere
Muscatine County Sheriff’s Office
Muscatine Police DepartmentWest Hill Cakery
West Liberty Programming:
Last school year, we worked with West Liberty Elementary to create a pilot for their 3rd-grade class that allowed students to connect class content with real-life experiences and environment. As a team, we wanted to offer students the chance to explore new areas such as civics, math, science, and more. This has been possible due to the collaboration of community partners that visit the students in their classrooms and present the students with engaging activities. We were able to provide this to more than 80 students.
With a similar purpose in mind, West Liberty Middle School paired with Aligned Impact Muscatine County to create an initiative that would provide students with the opportunity to learn about careers.
Thanks to these partnerships, students are able to connect with their community and learn more about possible careers.
Community Partnerships:
Diversity Services Center of Iowa
ISU Extension and Outreach Muscatine County
Muscatine County Conservation
Stanley Consultants