A Systems-Based Approach to Growing All Students

Written by Anne Bannister & Christine Lowak | Photography by Lauren Reed | A Charles Butt Foundation Production

Celebrating growth

“It’s Spotlight Friday! Let me hear you.” The students of Brittany Magin’s fourth-grade math class erupt into applause and shouts of encouragement to each other. The classroom is illuminated by a disco ball and the students dance in their seats along to Kidz Bop cover songs. 

“When you hear your name, I want you to come to the front of the room because we’re celebrating growth today! What was our goal to be on Spotlight Friday?” Magin asks her class.

“Thirty!” Her students call out in response. 

“Thirty points growth since the beginning of the year and look at this amazing growth boys and girls.” One at a time, as students hear their names, they are met with cheers and fist bumps celebrating their academic growth. Celebrating one another is embedded into the classroom culture.

This 15-minute celebration is a weekly ritual Magin started at the beginning of the year in connection with the district’s year-two implementation of blended learning. Through the Raising Blended Learners Initiative, Stephenville ISD’s leadership team set out to shift from a district data culture focused on achievement to one focused on growth. Magin’s classroom is a testament to this transformation.

Directed & edited by Anne Bannister | Produced by Christine Lowak | Cinematography by Anne Bannister, Brian Diggs, & Lauren Reed | Lighting by Taylor Harrison | A Charles Butt Foundation Production