What clients have said about us...

 Shana Burnett, Principal of Alcott Elementary School, Pontiac, MI In third year of implementation.

"ATLAS has helped to inform our teachers about best practices so that they have been able to help our students make gains across all curriculum areas. Our students have improved in all areas of instruction."

 What does an ATLAS school look like?

"Our school is a learning community. Everyone here--including the instructional leader, the teacher, members of our community and the students are learners."

"ATLAS empowers all teachers. It makes them stronger. When you empower people, you get better results."

"ATLAS helped us to establish a parent resource center."

 Ora Beard Principal of Dixon Elementary in Detroit

"ATLAS has given us a new way to look at student work. Instead of just percentages, we are really looking at it to examine learning."

 What does an ATLAS school look like?

"An ATLAS school has learning communities. We learn to do things differently. We are very much into staff development. ATLAS encompasses our entire school--everyone is a part of it."

"My teachers like Looking at Student Work. It gives them a sense of pride as they move students from one step to two steps."

"It doesn't matter what type of district you are from, whether it's urban or poor, I've learned that we all have the same type of issues to deal with. Being a principal is a lonely job. ATLAS gives you a network of others to talk with."

"Our test scores have gone up every year. We look at the student data to focus on instruction. This has helped us to change our instruction in the classroom."

 Linda Tucker, Assistant Principal of Earhart Middle School, Detroit

"ATLAS provides a way of helping students to achieve. It also provides a way to help teachers get better."

"We love it. It's really worked for us."

"People start building relationships and begin to trust one another."

"ATLAS provided us with a format where we could collaborate. We talk about the things that we can do consistently. We looked at all of our test scores, looking at tests where the same things are assessed. We created a school-wide approach to meeting student needs. Every classroom in Earhart has word walls. Every classroom focused on writing and using graphs. We have created an environment in which teachers learn from one another."

 What does an ATLAS school look like?

"The physical layout of the school isn't different. But, three years ago, you wouldn't have seen word walls in every classroom. You see the changes in time. The change is in the teachers. The naysayers are gone."