I was humbled when the U.S. Department of Education invited me to submit an application for Langston Charter Middle School to be considered for the 2024 National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. As Langston’s principal, I saw this as an opportunity to showcase the excellence of our teachers and students. I was elated when I received notice that Langston was one of just four in South Carolina named as one of the highest performing schools in the nation this year.
Our consistent academic performance warrants this achievement. We have a pass rate of 98 percent for the Algebra end-of-course (EOC) assessment. Langston continually outperforms the local district and the state on SCREADY assessments for Mathematics and English Language Arts (ELA). Since our founding year, Langston has performed at the highest levels and we plan to continue this tradition.
Langston is unique in that our enrollment is a lottery open to all students regardless of academic performance. We also teach boys and girls separately. As a public charter school, we are granted flexibility to develop this specific model of instruction. Our 2024 National Blue Ribbon clearly shows our model works exceptionally well.
The teaching strategies we use are targeted to the learning strengths of the developing brain. Some strategies can work in either class, but are more productive for one gender over another. We know that not all boys and girls are the same. However, we do recognize that boys and girls have different learning styles, and our teaching is tailored to these differences in gender-based learning. Girls enjoy cooperative work and seeing the big picture before they get into granular details. Generally speaking, boys like to take steps one-at-a time before they’re able to see the big picture. They also move a lot, and need smaller bits of instruction at a time.
Langston focuses on four core subjects, Mathematics, ELA, Science, and Social Studies. We offer limited electives, physical education and world languages – all students from sixth to eighth grade take a Spanish class. We also have a legacy program enabling siblings to enroll at Langston. I am especially proud of the leadership program we developed, where we teach students personal responsibility with a focus on giving back to their community through service. Each grade has a specific focus.
For sixth graders, we teach them how to be a good citizen in the classroom. We teach them that we do not tolerate bullying and that students must learn to work together. In seventh grade, the community focus expands beyond the classroom, and now includes local charities. We teach students to understand how their school fits into the structure of the state. We also teach them about state government and the Model United Nations. For our eighth graders, we teach them about the global community, with a bigger focus on the Model UN. They learn about other countries and begin to focus less on themselves and instead, learn how they can contribute to the global community.
Everything we do confirms the best decision I made 14 years ago to join Langston, first, as an assistant principal for 10 years, and then as principal the past four. The vision of the school’s founders was to establish a collaborative between students, parents, and teachers. The collaborative is vital – everyone doing their part to develop the framework of teaching students personal responsibility – guiding them to own their part in their education so that when they move through high school and into life, they are well prepared to be independent. This is very different from many other traditional public schools where teachers bear the brunt of doing everything for their students.
At Langston, that responsibility is shared amongst students and their families. Having this stakeholder model means so much to me, as I have seen the positive impact on student learning in our school for many years. Our school makes learning personal. Students do not get lost in a massive system or bureaucracy. Our middle school has a very manageable student body of 450. Most importantly, we want students to be over-prepared for ninth grade. As a middle school, we know that students are making a big leap as they transition from elementary to high school. There is a lot of trust involved to get students ready for high school and life beyond. That is our core mission, and it is one we strive to meet every single day.
Our 2024 National Blue Ribbon award is a testament to the many years of dedication our educators have made to the craft of teaching. Our students’ performance is a sign of commitment to academic excellence and investing in their own education. We are so proud of this award and are committed to maintaining this standard in the years to come.
David Wooten
Wooten serves as the Principal of Langston Charter Middle School.