Cortney Stanton, a 1st-grade teacher at Washington Elemiddle School of Normandy School District (MO), has been named the Open Up Resources EL Education K–8 Language Arts Teacher of the Month for March. Stanton is being recognized for her outstanding work in her classroom and ongoing support of teachers across the country as a member of the Open Up Resources National Professional Learning Community.
Stanton’s work with EL Education K–8 Language Arts makes her one of the most innovative teachers in the country. The EL Education K–8 Language Arts curriculum inspires a new way of teaching language arts by engaging students through compelling, real-world content to build equitable and inclusive learning opportunities.
Sara Downing, a colleague at Washington Elemiddle School, nominated Stanton for her impact on students’ success in her classroom. Downing shared, “Mrs. Stanton is a first-year teacher, but you would never know it! Her instruction using the EL 1st Grade Skills Block has propelled her students forward, possibly more than any other teacher in our building. Students who were struggling at the beginning of the year have made incredible gains in both phonological awareness and phonics! ALL of her students are reading!”
In her nomination, Downing went on to say, “I can't imagine this school year being my first year, but [Stanton] has tackled bouncing between in-person and virtual learning along with everything else she has to learn like a pro!”
Stanton appreciated the rigor of the curriculum that meets the needs of all learners in her classroom, along with cross-curricular topics. She celebrated her students’ success in reading and explained, “Through the use of small group intervention provided by EL my students have been engaged even in the midst of a pandemic. They get to read on their level and succeed on into the next.”
And Stanton went on to praise the character-building qualities of EL Education curriculum: “The lessons also teach a social skill aspect every week! You can’t go wrong with an all encompassing curriculum like EL Education!”
Open Up Resources is a non-profit on a mission to increase equity in education by making excellent, top-rated curricula freely available to districts. You can learn more at www.openupresources.org. Learn more about and join our communities here.
EL Education (formerly Expeditionary Learning) is redefining student achievement in diverse communities across the country. Founded over 20 years ago through the collaboration of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and Outward Bound, EL Education operates a national network of more than 150 high-achieving public schools serving over 4,000 teachers and 50,000 students, often in high-need communities.
EL Education creates great public schools where they are needed most. In addition, EL Education leverages its expertise to bring powerful resources to schools nationally: the organization provides curriculum, masterful coaching, and professional development, and publishes a portfolio of award-winning, educator-developed materials.
EL Education’s deep education expertise is simply unparalleled among materials developers. Learn more about EL Education here.