Liberty Primary Staff

The International Center for Leadership in Education (ICLE), whose mission is to encourage, inspire and support today’s educators, has named Liberty Primary a 2021 Model School for their relentless focus on student outcomes in an unprecedented year. Liberty Primary recognized opportunities for growth, collectively established a vision, and systematically worked together to take action.

Liberty Primary is one of 16 Model Schools from across the United States that will share its best practices at ICLE’s 29th Annual Model Schools Conference. The event provides a forum for thousands of passionate educators and leaders to share innovative and creative strategies for developing the minds of our future. Prior to its transformation to a K-2nd grade primary school, the school was also named a 2020 Model School last year as Chastain Road Elementary.

Liberty Primary fosters a strong positive school culture while being a trailblazer for early childhood education.  Their work focuses on building a strong foundation for the youngest learners in their community by concentrating on social emotional well being, purposeful play, and early literacy. 

“Model Schools are courageously leading the charge in every conversation they have that accounts first and foremost for the wellness of the learner,” says Weston Kieschnick, Associate Partner. “Each of the 2021 Model Schools have thrived in the most challenging of times through their strength of conviction for rigor, relevance and relationships.”

Selected annually based on a number of criteria, Model Schools have substantive evidence of growth year over year; strong culture that focuses on student needs; and dedication to continuous improvement no matter the circumstances.

Liberty Primary School Principal, Jessica Patterson says “Even though this year has been different and nothing has been easy, at LPS we are not sitting back and waiting for the storm to pass; instead, we are embracing every moment, capitalizing on every minute with our students, and learning to dance in the rain! We are so thankful for this time in-person with our students.”

“Unlike any other year, we are beyond proud to be honoring the 2021 Model Schools for digging deeper than ever to remain energized and focused on the needs of students,” says Weston. “The leaders and teachers at these schools truly represent courage in action.”

The International Center for Leadership in Education is a division of learning company Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

To learn more about the 29th Annual Model Schools Conference, please visit: ModelSchoolsConference.com.


 About the International Center for Leadership in Education

The International Center for Leadership in Education, established in 1991 and located in Rexford, N.Y., is one of the most influential education consulting companies in America. It is best known for identifying and disseminating successful practices to assist all students in achieving higher standards. The leadership team and consultants at ICLE have assisted numerous state education agencies and hundreds of schools and districts in their improvement initiatives. For more information, please visit www.LeaderEd.com.