Tolson Elementary School in Tucson Arizona, a Title I school of over 500 children (80% free or reduced lunch) has shown remarkable progress since beginning a school-wide Nurtured Heart Approach™ intervention in 1999. Prior to that many children were referred for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) assessments and were put on medications. They had eight times the normal number of school suspensions per year as other schools in the district and teacher attrition was well over 50% per year. Since that time there has only been one child suspended, no children at all diagnosed as ADHD and no new children on medications. Teacher attrition has dropped to less than 5% and special education utilization has dropped from 15% to 5%. Best of all, the school has gone from the worst in district as measured by standardized test scores to having dramatic and continuing positive progress. This data is in keeping with other informal observations noted when this approach has been applied in other school-wide applications.(1)

Barkstall Elementary in Champaign, Illinois has one of the highest attendance rates in the school district and has improved each year since the inception of NHA.  In the past three years, their attendance rate has climbed from 95.1% to 95.9%, discipline referrals are down 88%, and the percentage of students who have met or are exceeding their ISAT test scores have raised from 74.5% to 87% in Reading and from 88.7% to 95% in Math.(2)

Jefferson Middle School in Champaign, Illinois has seen a 17% decrease in discipline referrals this year, 20% by their African American students.  In the past three years, they have only had two core teaching positions open.(3)

Tom Grove is the consultant for District 4 who has spearheaded the implementation of Nurtured Heart Approach™ in their schools.  He reports only one teacher has left the schools he has consulted with for non teacher related reasons in the past four years.  He reports that all teachers using this approach are at or above curriculum schedules.  No teacher has stopped using this approach once they have started.  No principals have quit or moved to another school.  Several students have been taken off their IEP’s and successfully transitioned back into Nurtured Heart classrooms.  Achievement has gone up on Reading and Math.(4)

References:

(1)     Data on Tolson Elementary School is posted on www.difficultchild.com under NHA research

(2)     Data on Barkstall Elementary School was provided by Trudy Walters, principal

(3)     Data on Jefferson Middle School was provided by Dr. Susan Zola, principal

(4)     Data provided by Tom Grove, consultant to Dist 4 

Demographics for Jefferson Middle School

Dist 4 Champaign, IL 

  • 700 students
  • Since 2006 and the implementation of the NHA
    • Minority ratio has climbed from 27% to  48.6%
    • Free and reduced lunch has climbed from 28% to 50%
    • 7% of students participate in the English as a second language
    • Out of the 67 staff, only 2 have left in the last three years, both to promotions  

ISAT 2009

All Students (AYP Goal 70 %)

Composite (%Meets/Exceeds)

ISAT

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Reading

72.0

75.9

75.4

80.0

81

Math

61.7

82.8

86.0

87.7

88.2

 

African-American

ISAT

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Reading

46.7

54.2

55.6

64.8

67.2

Math

29.8

65.0

71.0

76.3

77.1

 

White

ISAT

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Reading

84.5

85.8

87.0

90.1

89.8

Math

75.4

91.5

95.0

95.1

94.7

 

I.E.P.

ISAT

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Reading

37.2

43.9

50.6

47

52.9

Math

26.2

59.7

76.0

74.1

70.6

 

Low SES

ISAT

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

Reading

47.8

59.5

60.2

67.0

69.9

Math

32.9

69.4

75.2

78.9

81.70