What is the key to academic success, particularly when students are living below the poverty level and aren’t receiving the extra help at home to thrive in the classroom? Administrators at Archbishop Lyke School in Cleveland have found that through the school’s Intervention for Academic Success Program, students in kindergarten through fourth grade are well on their way to scholastic achievement.

Sister Pat Stellmah, second from right, enjoys the daily contact she has with the students.

The Intervention for Academic Success Program began during the 2000-2001 school year when it was determined that kindergarten students as well as first graders who were new to the school needed extra help in the classroom. A number of the kindergartners lacked social and developmental skills usually learned at home, such as cutting, coloring and following directions. Because the students weren’t making progress in the classroom, an additional teacher was hired to work with these children in small “pull-out” groups. The result is that in the four years the program has existed, all kindergartners have been ready to move on to first grade. Prior to the program, two or three students in each kindergarten classroom were held back.

“The main goal of the program is to ensure that every student, especially anyone new to the school, would receive the assistance and support needed to succeed, and that no one would fall through the cracks,” said Patricia Stellmah, OP, assistant to the administrative team. “This would include the above-average student who needs a challenge, as well as the below-average student and any student who needs help adjusting to new situations.”

Sister Pat said that unlike federally funded programs, the Intervention for Academic Success Program is flexible; children work in small groups and receive individual help as needed. Some students need a boost in reading, while others need help with social skills, such as making good choices, managing anger and accepting consequences. In other cases, a student simply needs time to catch up or gain self-confidence. “One fourth-grade boy was able to participate better in his math class after receiving some extra help,” Sister Pat noted. “His self-esteem rose that day!”

Archbishop Lyke School is the only Catholic school in southeast Cleveland. The student population is 100 percent African-American, and approximately 81 percent of the 465 students live below the poverty level. Due to the economic backgrounds of the students and the increasing cost of tuition, Sister Pat said student turnover is high and adjustment is often difficult for new students who are transferring from public schools, especially mid-year. Consequently, the administrative team saw the need to expand the program to students in grades two, three and four to assist new students and to meet the needs of all students. A grant from the Adrian Dominican Ministry Trust made this possible for the 2004-2005 school year.