More School Means More Learning (WUSA9)

Graham Road students, who attend school year round, raised their test scores to the top ten percent in the state.

Video highlighting Graham Roads achievements largely due to being on a modified calendar

News article, "More School: Obama Would Curtail Summer Vacation", with highlight on Graham Road.

Early August Means School for Some (Washington Times)

The first week of August means the first day of school at Graham Road and a half-dozen other Fairfax County elementary schools that are on a modified school-year calendar.

Board of Supervisors Recognize Achievements at Graham Road

The Board of Supervisors recognized Graham Road Elementary School for being named a Blue Ribbon School by the U. S. Department of Education. The elementary school is ranked in the top 10 percent academically for schools in Virginia with at least 40 percent of students from disadvantaged backgrounds.

VGLA at Graham Road

A video on the alternative assessment that uses portfolios instead of multiple choice tests used at Graham Road.

Myths Left Behind (Washington Post)

Fairfax County's Graham Road Elementary dispels the notion that achievement gaps are inevitable.

Ed Trust Article

Blue Ribbon Award at Graham Road ES

Watch a video discussing Graham Road's Blue Ribbon award that was received this year!

Area Schools Reach for a Higher Bar On State Tests (Washington Post)

Half of elementary students in Northern Virginia and a third in the Maryland counties that surround Washington are scoring at the highest levels on state tests in reading and math, blowing past the goals of the No Child Left Behind law.

Graham Road Receives Blue Ribbon Award

Graham Road earned the honor of becoming a Blue Ribbon School. We were awarded this title from the US Department of Education this year.

The two criteria by which our school was selected for the award were (a) being in the top 10% of schools academically in Virginia and (b) having at least 40% of students from low-income household. Just 10 Virginia and 324 U.S. public and private schools will receive this prestigious award this year. Given that there are approximately 132,000 K-12 schools in the country, only .25% of schools (1 quarter of 1 percent) have been found worthy of the Blue Ribbon award.

Washington Post Article (Sept 10)
FCPS Website Article
What is a Blue Ribbon Award?

Reed Smith and Graham Road (Apple 21)

Reed Smith LLP is the 2008 FCPS Partner of the Year for its support and contributions to Graham Road ES students. View a video about how Reed Smith and Graham Road work together. Reed Smith was FCPS partner of the year, view a video of Reed Smith and all the schools they work with, including Graham Road.

You can view more exciting news going on in FCPS by visiting Apple 21st Video Gallery.

Tough Choices for A Thriving School (Washington Post)

The smallest public school campus in Fairfax County sits on four acres between a strip mall and a laundromat at the busy corner of Graham Road and Route 50. Chain link rings the tiny playground, and traffic often obscures the front door.

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) Congratulations

"Educators committed to working collaboratively in ongoing processes of collective inquiry and action research to achieve better results for the students they serve. Professional learning communities operate under the assumption that the key to improved learning for students is continuous job-embedded learning for educators." Learning by Doing (2006)

Congratulations and celebrate, Graham Road Elementary School has been added to the www.allthingsplc.info website by showing great improvement while using PLC concepts. You have built a successful professional learning community, and as determined by our panel of PLC practitioners your overall strategies, implementation, and performance will help others learn.

Graham Road Receives Board of Education's VIP Excellence Award!

Governor Kaine announced awards for high performing Virginia public schools. GRES will receive the VIP Excellence Award , meaning that the school has met all state and federal accountability benchmarks for at least two consecutive years and has made significant progress toward goals for increased student achievement and expanded educational opportunity set by Governor Kaine and the Board of Education.

http://www.doe.virginia.gov/information_centers/newsroom/news_releases/2008/jan10a.shtml

Ms. Woods, Graham Road's Very Own Author!

Graham Road 's Librarian, Mary Woods is also a published author! Her newest book Disasters Up Close: Hurricanes is just one of a ten-book series on natural disasters. She also has written books on a variety of history topics. Ms. Woods received an Honor Award for her newest book from The Society of International Librarians.

Ms. Wood's books are available for check out in our Graham Road Library!

Graham Road students make the cover of the Washingtonian!

About 40 Graham Road students were photographed this month to have a chance to adorn the front cover of the Washingtonian magazine. The October issue is about how immigrants have changed the face of Washington . Being chosen as the school to be photographed for this honor is a testament to the wonderful diversity present here on the Road and in its community.

Schools Try Elementary Approach To Teaching Foreign Languages (Washington Post)

School systems across the Washington area are adding foreign language classes in elementary grades in response to a call from government and business leaders who say the country needs more bilingual speakers to stay competitive and even to fight terrorism.