Francis Owen Holaway Elementary School in the Amphitheater School District won a gold award in an improvement initiative for schools with low-income and minority-intensive populations to overcome obstacles.
Beat the Odds is a multi-year school improvement program based on establishing a clear bottom line, conducting ongoing assessment, strong and steady principal, collaborative solutions, sticking with the program and customizing instruction and intervention. It is an initiative of the Center for the Future of Arizona, an organization that advocates for equity in education.
Student performance at Holaway went from a βDβ grade in 2012 to a βBβ in 2013.
Six other Arizona schools won gold awards in the Beat the Odds initiative. Holaway, which is led by Principal Chris Gutierrez, was the only Tucson school to be chosen.
