Rick Badie's Gwinnett: Hands-on principal yields progress

Capable leaders don’t mind sharing the glory.

Shiloh High principal Gwen Tatum wanted the principals of all the schools that feed into her campus to take part in an interview. Good things are happening at the Snellville school and the Badie Tour wanted to have a look-see.

In recent years, the campus’s demographics have changed as new families moved in and others relocated for supposedly better schools in north Gwinnett. There’s a term for such flight, but out of respect for Tatum I won’t go there. She’s a glass-half-full type of administrator. In her first year on the job, Tatum focused on discipline and the creation of an orderly environment. When students acted unruly, she’d call parents personally.

“Students were taken aback,” she said. “My first year was challenging — for the students. My expectation for them was to have a good time, but behave.”

Moreover, administrators were assigned to monitor the cafeteria during the two-hour lunch period. The practice continues to this day.

Alas, in 2006 something happened on the way to stricter codes of behavior. Shiloh High, for the first time, failed to make Adequately Yearly Progress, that do-or-die benchmark that appears to be the best we can muster when it comes to measuring achievement.

Tatum was disappointed, but not surprised by the decline. That, however, didn’t make it any easier for her or the faculty to stomach. Math proved to be the nemesis, notably for special education and economically disadvantaged students.

So Shiloh High, along with its feeder schools, regrouped. They created a “math cluster initiative” that focused on transition to key grade levels.

“We analyzed math scores and came up with a plan to provide intense review for those at risk,” Tatum said. The result: “Our scores jumped in math,” she said, even for the economically disadvantaged students.”

Shiloh High has made AYP ever since and it has met or succeeded the pass mark on other standardized tests. In 2009 the campus garnered various honors that included:

● the state superintendent’s distinguished achievement award for improvement on the end-of-the-year history test;

● recognition from the state Department of Education for success in advanced placement testing;

● the Silver Award from the governor’s office of student achievement.

Now, the Shiloh schools cluster wants to reclaim something that has waned over the years: community investment, pride.

On April 24, the first “Taste of Shiloh” will be hosted at Shiloh High in conjunction with an annual arts festival. There will be entertainment, a kids’ play area, a silent auction and food.

“The most important thing is getting the community together,” Tatum said, “even if we don’t make a profit and just break even.”

Give Tatum and principals Lorraine Sparks (Annistown Elementary); Kim McDermon (Centerville Elementary); Audrey Baptiste (Partee Elementary); Eric Parks (Shiloh Middle); and Betty Ann Schoeneck (Shiloh Elementary) time.