Evers

Overview

Grades
Evers serves students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The school's magnet program begins at the kindergarten level.

Academic programs
Self-contained general education classrooms, special education inclusive, resource & instructional, fine and performing arts magnet cluster program – visual arts, music, drama & dance

Evers has a standards-based curriculum instruction focus integrated with fine arts. The integrated curriculum enables teachers and students to explore different learning styles and teaching techniques, and provides opportunities for artistic expression.

Location
Medgar Evers School is located on the southwest side of Chicago in the Washington Heights Community. The surrounding community residents are primarily single family home owners.

Attendance
Rate for 2008: 95.1%;  2009: 92%

Mobility Rate: 17.1%

Programs

Other academic programs
Accelerated Reader, Hug-A-Book, Book It, Read to Succeed, After School All-Stars Elites,  Extended Day and Saturday School Tutorial, Young Authors, Compass Learning, CMSI, Foss Science, Middle School Mentoring and Departmental Instruction (grades 7-8), and participation in annual academic fairs/competitions (science, spelling, Academic Olympics, speech; essay writing and Young Authors)

Partnerships
The Illinois Arts Council Square Dance Residency Program with Joffrey Ballet (grades 1-2), Creative Directions –  Reading and Writing Powerful Partners, Joffrey Ballet’s Middle School Dance Club, Hubbard Street Dance Literacy Integration Project, The Oppenheimer Family Foundation funding for the Fine Arts Gala, Into the Woods, and The Chicago Foundation of Education funding of Evers teacher grant awards.

Sports
Evers offers a variety of recreational and competitive sports opportunities for boys and girls including, tennis, track & field, cross country, boys and girls basketball  and biddy basketball for the primary students.

Evers School is in a joint partnership with Euclid Park and the use of its facilities for  cheerleading, tumbling, and pom-pon after school.

Awards and recognition

Test scores
Composite increase of ISAT scores is +2.6

Reading composite increase is +6.4
63% of students in grades 3, 5, 6 & 8 meet or exceed in ISAT writing

Awards
Spotlight Schools Award-2008 Illinois Honor Roll School
Partnership with University of Illinois Extension with the Readers are Leaders Program
Fine Arts Team – Oppenheimer Grant Winners
Black McDonald’s Association “Write to Achieve Winner” 2008, 2009
2009 Do the Write Thing Challenge – 2 Finalists
Tech XPO Presentation – Adobe Youth Voices – Roseland Magnet Cluster Winner
Winner of the American Art Partners Residency with Art Resources in Teaching and the Art Institute of Chicago, Terra Foundation for American Art, Polk Bros. Foundation

Testimonials

from a staff member:
"I believe my school is high performing because of the dedication and concern of all faculty, staff, parents and students within the school. The teachers have a wonderful rapport with students and parents, and go over and beyond their daily work day to provide experiences and activities for them. They are enthusiastic regarding new pedagogy and seek out opportunities to further and improve their education. The parents and community members have joined in with our efforts to make Evers School one of the top schools and best kept secrets in Chicago. Parents assist and support the programs provided to their children throughout the school year. They believe in being part of the solution and not the problem."