Journal Article Review #1
Joshua W. McMillan
Liberty University
1971 University Boulevard, Lynchburg, Virginia 24502
jmcmillan6@liberty.edu (434)-515-3254
October 27, 2016
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PART 1: SUMMARY
This chosen article, “A Case Study of a Highly Effective, Inclusive Elementary School,” dives
deep into the history, logistics, and thought processes that went behind the implementation of
inclusivity within the classrooms of Creekside Elementary School outside of Jacksonville,
Florida. This article was written due to the fact that Creekside was a statistical anomaly in
American education, as it was found that, “Evidence reveals that only a limited number of
schools have been successful in meeting these sometimes competing demands for excellence and
equity,” (59). With Creekside Elementary School as an outlier in this regard, the authors decided
to perform an in-depth study on this school to determine what has made it so successful in the
realm of inclusivity. In the realm of Individualized Education Programs, this school is the gold
standard of inclusiveness, and has fostered an incredible atmosphere for students with learning
disabilities.
PART 2: ANAYLSIS
One of the more interesting case studies on the correlation of effectiveness and
inclusiveness, the authors were simply taken back by the rarity of this school as they said, “We
could find no investigations of schools that were inclusive and achieved excellent student
outcomes that were conducted in the United States,” (60). One of the more interesting facts about
this study was that 52% of the chosen school was from a high poverty background. This statistic
goes to shed light on the heart and attentiveness that the teachers from this school undoubtedly
showed towards each and every student that they crossed paths with. As one may be able to see
from this rarity of this school shown in the study, the actions of the teachers and administrators
from Creekside were a large proponent in the success and effectiveness of this school.
PART 3: PERSONAL RESPONSE
This article was incredibly uplifting as oftentimes, you hear the horror stories of how
special needs students are either neglected or given ‘preferential treatment.’ However, in the case
of Creekside Elementary, we find what happens when a caring teaching staff maximizes their
efforts, attention, and hearts to cater to every one of their special needs student’s needs. As I have
two brothers with special needs who both require IEP’s, reading about a school with such a high
rate of inclusivity as it is one of the most integral pieces within an IEP. One of the elements that
has made this school such a prime example of IEP’s succeeding in a public school comes from
the top of any given school. While being able to delegate to a trusted staff may not be in the
cards for every school given norms and personalities, but in the circumstances of Creekside, I
personally believe they have stumbled upon a winning recipe. One example of this was found on
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From what can be gathered from the author’s perspective, there were some major
recurring themes that could be gathered from the findings in study. These predominant themes
were categorized as overachieving: student support and instructional quality and administrative
and organizational features. From what the authors found, it started at the top, as Principal
Richards of Creekside went on to say, “My personal goal is that we meet all kid needs. You may
look at what we need to meet the gifted kid’s needs, the LD kids, but because it is an overall
need, we’ve got to improve to meet all kid needs and all kids’ achievement,” (63). When students
with IEP’s are in need of having an environment that caters to their needs, Creekside has found a
formula to foster this type of atmosphere. Having the ability to have trust in her staff, to
decisively delegate in order to better serve her students was a predominant factor in her school
achieving one of the highest levels of efficiency while meeting the needs of her students.
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page 67, as we learn that, “teachers also make most decisions about professional development,
based on their perceived needs. This is part of a larger agenda for Ms. Richards, as she engages
the school staff in making decisions whenever possible.” With special educators needing to have
faith in the system that they are coming from to be able to better assist and include their students
with IEP’s, this article was the perfect example of a perfect storm.
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REFERENCES
McLeskey, Redd, & Waldron. (2014). A case study of a highly effective inclusive elementary
school. The Journal of Special Education. Vol. 48: pp. 59-70. Retrieved from
http://sed.sagepub.com/content/48/1/59.full.pdf+html
