Garfield Elementary

With Effort Everything Is Possible

Con Ganas Todo Es Posible

Jan Byers' students and their parents know her not only as a teacher, but as a friend and ally.   Byers, who is entering her 15th year teaching at Garfield Elementary School, puts in a full teaching schedule. Then she generously gives of her own time to ensure that her students vital needs are met; that they and their families have enough food.

The International Spanish Academies project (ISA) is a bilingual, Spanish/English educational model that the Spanish Department of Education and Science promotes in collaboration with American and Canadian educational authorities. Broadly defined, it is a teaching model based on a shared curriculum of both languages, used for primary as well as secondary education.

Garfield received the national award for their efforts to close the achievement gap between student groups. Over the past two school years, the increase in the percentage of Garfield students meeting achievement goals in reading and math has generally been two to four times higher than required by Adequate Yearly Progress growth targets.