Congratulations to Friendship Aspire schools for finding ways to excel in tough circumstances and for being honored by the University of Arkansas for that work.
There are more than a few life situations that contribute to poorer-than-average performance at school with poverty being one of the key stumbling blocks. And poverty is no stranger to Pine Bluff with statistics showing the city is far above the state average in percentage of the population suffering.
The Office for Education Policy at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville considered schools where two-thirds of students qualified for free and reduced lunches, meaning they were at or near the poverty level. In the end the office honored Friendship Aspire STEM Academy schools in Arkansas with Beating the Odds Awards.
“The schools were honored for demonstrating exceptional growth on the Arkansas Teaching and Learning Assessment System tests in English language arts and mathematics during the 2023-24 school year despite serving a high percentage of students with free and reduced lunches,” according to a story in The Commercial. “Schools in which 66% or more of the student body is eligible for these lunches are considered.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The office based its findings on academic growth, which is calculated at the student level and “reflects how much a student improved in score from the prior year, compared to what was predicted based on prior achievement history,” according to the article.
Not only did the schools here do well; they did very well.
“Friendship’s campuses in Pine Bluff ranked in the top 10 for overall growth, based on math and ELA scores combined on the ATLAS. Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast’s middle school (grades 6-8) posted the eighth-highest ELA growth statewide with an overall content growth score of 83.56 and third-highest in the Central Region of Arkansas,” stated the story.
“We’re excited to see the growth that we have accomplished through our ELA classes,” said Friendship-Southeast Principal Anitra Rogers. “It just took all of us working together, hand-in-hand, to come together and do what’s best and put students first to see outcomes like this.”
The Hazel Street and Downtown elementary campuses tied for sixth in high overall growth statewide (85.27), third in high math growth statewide (87.57) and second in high math growth for the Central Region.
“This is the standard,” first-year Friendship-Hazel Principal Rebecca Newby said. “A lot of my focus has been continuity. I was grateful I was able to come in and see what was working already, but a lot of the new focus is just in the midst of transition, preparing the mindsets for what happens in the midst of change to keep the momentum going, to keep everyone fired up, and understanding once again that the expectation is the expectation.”
Three other Friendship campuses earned Beating the Odds awards: the Little Rock middle school; the North Little Rock elementary; and Marvell-Elaine High.
Elsewhere in southeast Arkansas, Thomas C. Brunson Elementary (grades 4-5) and Warren Middle School (grades 6-8), both in the Warren School District, earned Beating the Odds honors.
Poverty does stand in the way of good educational outcomes for students. Friendship Aspire, however, has found ways around, over and through that impediment. In many ways, poverty begets poverty. But at these schools, where poverty runs deep perhaps success will herald success.