WINONA, Texas — Winona Middle School is among five schools in the nation that won $10,000 for its efforts to create better outcomes for students, educators and schools.
The school was named the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching Founder’s Award finalist, earning the school $10,000 and making the campus eligible for the $50,000 grand prize to be announced later this month.
“Winona Middle School’s effort to systematically strengthen educator effectiveness, leadership opportunities, and support has been nothing less than transformational,” said NIET Founder Lowell Milken. “Under Principal Johnny Walker, collaboration and morale are high, reaping historic gains in student achievement growth and positioning the school as a destination of choice for new teachers. Congratulations to Winona Middle staff and Superintendent Damenion Miller on their significant progress and serving as an inspiration for others.”
According to the news release, finalists for this award are chosen based on the following criteria:
- Efforts to make instructional excellence the foundation of school improvement
- Plans for regular professional learning focused on the real-time needs of teachers and students
- Creating a culture of collaboration and reflection
- Leveraging teacher leaders and administrators to drive student growth
Winona Middle School and other schools have elevated teaching and learning using tools from NIET and resources for instructional excellence and career pathways, NIET said.
NIET noted the school went from an F rating in 2019 to a B rating in 2022. WMS has also strengthened and diversified the recruitment and retention of teachers through professional growth opportunities.
WMS Principal Johnny Walker and his team are focused on building up the instructional capacity of teachers, giving time for collaboration and professional learning, and using data to identify needs. They focus on these issues while keeping student outcomes at the center.
“When I became principal of Winona Middle School, our culture was on life support and teachers worked in silos,” Walker said. “Today, I am glad to report that collaboration and teachers supporting teachers are at an all-time high. I am proud of the culture at our school because students are reaping the benefits of a robust professional learning community grounded in collaboration and continual improvement.”
The partnership began with school improvement work but it went further to include a broader focus on best practices. Those practices are weekly professional learning meetings using the NIET Five Steps for Effective Learning, shared leadership through an instructional leadership team and ongoing coaching and feedback for teachers.
“NIET has had a profound impact on my leadership as I have learned essential systems for improvement,” Walker said. “NIET has provided me with resources and the confidence to effectively lead instructional leadership meetings, engage in in-depth discussions with teachers around content and pedagogy, and chart a course for sustained school improvement.”
The grand prize will be announced at NIET’s national conference on Feb. 29.