LAFAYETTE, La. — The Lafayette Parish School System is expanding its Accelerating Campus Excellence (ACE) program, welcoming Alice Boucher Elementary as the newest campus to adopt the innovative learning model.
“I think our community in the area of Alice Boucher is going to be extremely pleased with what they’re going to see in regards to student success, and we’re extremely excited for that,” said LPSS Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction Ginger Richard.
Alice Boucher Elementary joins two other LPSS schools, J.W. Faulk Elementary School and Dr. Raphael A. Baranco Elementary School, currently operating under the ACE framework. The schools were selected to participate after students were observed struggling to perform at, or above, grade level, with ACE designed to provide the extra support students need to succeed.
“We have seen throughout the years that it has been harder to grow and close gaps for some students. So we knew we needed to do something different — think outside the box,” Richard said.
The ACE model features a longer school day, including an additional 30 minutes of instruction and an optional 90 minutes of after-school enrichment. The program also offers expanded resources to help foster stronger connections within the school community.
“It just allows ample time for students to not only get the academics they need, but also the social and emotional help that they need as well,” Richard said.
A central component of ACE is the recruitment and retention of highly effective staff members. Top-performing educators and support staff are identified using data and offered three-year stipends to incentivize them to apply to work on ACE campuses.
“One huge part of the model is to pay highly effective leaders, highly effective teachers, highly effective paraprofessionals, bus drivers, extra money to come and work with some of our most vulnerable students,” Richard said.
LPSS leaders say the results from other ACE schools are promising, with hopes that progress will continue at Alice Boucher Elementary.
Funding for the ACE program’s implementation at Alice Boucher comes from a three-year donation by the Pugh Family Foundation, an investment that LPSS says will help drive improvements in student achievement for years to come.
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