School Demographics and Achievement Data
The Louis B. Russell, Jr. School IPS 48 has one of the lowest school ratings in the Indianapolis Public School district. They are home to 290 at-risk students from the Indianapolis area. This number is shocking low compared to other years placing their enrollment is at an all-time low this year, which is playing a part in their potential shut-down. The demographics of the students show a majority of African American and Hispanic/multicultural children presenting not a huge diverse culture. IPS 48 showed about ¼ of their students being special education with the other ¾ falling in the general education category. In terms of students receiving special services, there is not a large number nor much data given as to what type of service their students are receiving, which I am assuming is due to lack of resources. When looking at the school’s achievement data and ranking on a scale of 1-100, IPS 48 falls in at a low 13. Compared to their surrounding schools, their number is shockingly low. They have been rated an “F” letter grade school for almost the past 5 years, with the exception of one “D.” Despite this, no improvement was shared on their website, which I felt was one of IPS’s biggest weaknesses/need for reformation. In terms of their test score, over half of their students did not pass ISTEP+. After analyzing this school’s demographics and achievement data, it was obvious that they are lacking in many areas. Due to these reasons and many more, IPS 48 is on the brink of a shut down at the closing of this school year. |
School Purpose and Philosophy
The mission of this school reads, “At Louis B. Russell, Jr. Elementary School, we will attain exceptional growth and achievement through equitable and consistent high-quality instruction in collaboration with our community and families.” One of my favorite parts about this mission statement is the phrase “in collaboration with our community and families.” It is so important, especially at schools like IPS 48, to work with the children and their families. A lot of these students do not have the best home life or relationship with their families so it is crucial for the school to put the child’s personal needs above their education in order for them to succeed. Similarly to their mission, their vision statement reads, “The vision of Louis B. Russell, Jr. Elementary is to empower life-long learners who are equipped to be innovative citizens in our global society.” Again, the recognition of the potential of these students is so inspiring to me. Both the mission and vision statements prove that the IPS community sees collaboration and empowerment as the primary purpose of the school; as you can see these two values are clearly outlined in the statements. Based on my investigations, the school philosophy is a huge selection of the community it is within. The majority of the children at this school are extremely at-risk. I’ve seen it firsthand with the work I have done in partnership with this school, these kids rely on positive mentors in their lives. A large number of these kids have their only meal at school. In addition to that, they rely heavily on the positive treatment they receive in their educational setting that many are lacking from their home life. This school clearly puts the student’s needs above all else and that is evident in both statements. IPS has continued to try to move this school in the right direction despite the problems they have faced within the department of achievement data. |
Type of Curricular Choice Offered
IPS 48 is home to students in grades Pre-k through 6th grade. There was not much information provided regarding the curricular choice offered at IPS 48. In terms of the IPS district as a whole, however, there is a wide range of curriculum and philosophies. Seemingly, IPS 48 has a much more traditional structure in terms of organization and choice. They do a great job of offering extracurricular clubs and activities to get the students involved. Apart from the student involvement that they are striving for, these clubs are important and crucial to the parents who have to work until later hours and are not able to pick up their children/care for them directly after school. IPS recognizes this and offers a wide variety of options that the students can choose from, based on their personal interests. Some of the programs include: boys and girls basketball and soccer, cheerleading, volleyball, band, Edna Martin Christian Center, TAB Tutoring (tutoring at the Tabernacle church across the street) and ReadUP (local volunteer organization that reads to local students to help improve literacy.) IPS aims to get the community involved with “helping their own” which is evident through the programs TAB and ReadUP. They also do their best to offer later extracurriculars in order to help the working parents (College Mentors for Kids) that are able to provide transportation and food. IPS 48 does a great job balancing academics with extracurriculars, as evident on their website and through their mission/vision statements in order to shape/aid the children as a whole. |
School Finances
The IPS district as a whole spends $15,248 per student. This is the most that any public school in the district spends. The majority of this money goes towards transportation as many of these students are not able to receive rides from parents/guardians due to conflicting jobs, etc. Around ¾ of the students at IPS 48 receive a free or reduced lunch which is an extremely high number, again, compared to surrounding schools. The average salary for this school’s specific teachers was unknown however, there are around 65 teachers in total at IPS 48. IPS recently linked to a new contract stating that no IPS teacher will make less than $47,800 and can make up to $90,000 which is extremely transformational for these educators. IPS 48 also is not state accredited. IPS works extremely hard to put the needs of the students first and to help out financially wherever they are able as they know this is one of the biggest struggles for the IPS families. |
Surrounding Area / Community / History
This school was named after a well-known, highly respected man named Louis B. Russell, Jr. He was a highly accredited teacher who won many awards and gave many speeches; ultimately giving back to his community. His main philosophy was centered around the fact that a disability should not be a handicap. This saddens me as I feel that IPS has strayed somewhat far from this philosophy as only ¼ of their students are special ed. Yet, this could be a result of limited resources and funding as well. IPS 48 is located on Central Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana. When driving through the surrounding area, I noticed a large bus station that a large majority of people were fathering at. This bus station had people anywhere from ages 2-60 as well as seemingly homeless men/women sitting under the sheltered area on the benches with their belongings. This area has a stigma for being “dangerous,” which is why it saddens me that so many of these students bike and walk home from school unsupervised. There is a mental health and counseling office nearby as well as a church directly across the street, both seem to be very kept and in business. Directly outside of the school, there is a small, decorated mailbox-structured crate for free books available to anyone which I thought was extremely encouraging. |
My Personal Experience With IPS 48
I have a very personal connection to IPS 48. I am a part of the College Mentors For Kids program here at Butler and we are heavily involved with the Louis B. Russell Jr school. Many of these kids have become so special to me as I spend 3-4 hours with them weekly. Due to this, I see the immense impact that positive role models/mentors have on each and every one of them. Seeing the joy that this program (volunteer-oriented, completely free) brings to the students fills my heart and I am deeply saddened at the fact that this school will potentially be shutting down and that this may be our last year of partnership with this special group of kiddos. We deal with a variety of behavioral problems, parental/transportation issues and provide free snacks which are all linked directly to the student’s needs. When we arrive at the school, we are encouraged to park across the street at the local church and advised to lock our cars to ensure that our personal belongings are not stolen which says a lot about the surroundings of this school and the precautions that the staff and students are encouraged to take. Having a role at this school personally and watching the students and staff interact each week, I am able to see the heart and soul of this school. Truly, the environment is completely centered around what is best for these students which is evident through their mission/vision statement and the lengths that they take to ensure the student’s safety and wellbeing. They are so much more than their low test scores and achievement data; they are pushing to overcome the extreme adversity that they are facing day in and day out while also trying to provide the best education they can for their students. |