ABSTRACT
Maura Kennedy is a second year teacher at Polar Elementary, a K-6 institution in an urban setting. Maura loves her job. She prepared as a teacher in a rural state, but felt she was ready for the challenge and adventure she would find in a big city. She has found the multi-cultural, bustling New England setting is constantly alive with activity and excitement. The State Department of Education Strategic data indicate that Polar Elementary has a demographic breakdown of significant diversity:
• 84 percent of students are from under represented groups. • 65 percent are at or below the poverty level established by the federal
government guidelines. • 25 percent have been identified with special needs under IDEA. • 56 percent come from a single parent home. • 60 percent are at or below grade level in math as measured by the
state exam. • 45 percent are below grade level in literacy as measured by the state
exam. • 54 percent speak another language other than English. • 27 percent have a household with one parent holding a degree.
