March 24, 2022

TCSS is excited to announce the selection of Crestmont Elementary School as a 2022 Model School, chosen by the International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE)!

ICLE selected Crestmont as a Model School, based on Crestmont’s work in the area of creating positive school culture and climate, which has translated to academic gains for students. Crestmont Principal Dr. Lucretia Prince will present on this topic at the 30^th Annual Model Schools Conference, this summer in Orlando, Florida. Only 30 schools, districts, or educators nationwide were selected to be featured in this year’s Model Schools Conference.

“After becoming an administrator, I vowed that I would focus on what was important to me, and that was building relationships,” Dr. Prince wrote in a Model Schools blog, describing Crestmont’s focus on school culture and climate.

“Yes, I know, but what about the standards? Yes, those are very important, but a builder doesn’t build a house without securing a sturdy foundation…Until we stop and build these kinds of relationships with our students, with our teachers, and with our families, we will never truly understand what it is like to experience a winning climate and culture that fosters long-lasting and meaningful relationships.”

This is the second consecutive year for TCSS to be featured in the Model Schools Conference. Last year, TCSS was named an Innovative District, based on the work of a group of district leaders who created the program “#RealTalk: Conversations About Race Relations.”

The International Center for Leadership in Education was established in 1991. It exists to assist schools in providing all students with a rigorous and relevant instructional program, that is future-focused and grounded in a culture that fosters strong personal relationships, among students and adults alike. The leadership team and consultants at ICLE have assisted numerous state education agencies and hundreds of schools and districts in their improvement initiatives.