Class of Her Own

During her first 25 years at Duval Elementary (East Gainesville, Fla.), Gloria Jean Merriex was a typical teacher. She adhered faithfully to her district’s rigid pacing guides. But after her school flunked its high-stakes state exam, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT), she changed. Completely. As a result of failing the FCAT, Duval faced major consequences. They included a budget freeze and the threat of a shutdown. The state and district pressured Gloria and her colleagues to strictly follow the curriculum and guidelines.   Gloria fought back. She created a curriculum from scratch to make her lessons relevant to her students. Recognizing rhythm and repetition help children grasp and remember complex concepts, she experimented with music and movement. She wrote original songs and choreographed geometrical motions. She flipped the playbook, starting the school year with the hardest concepts. She practiced tough love. And she substantially raised her expectations of her students—and herself. In one year, she catapulted Duval to an A. She became a national model, giving us a blueprint for student success.