He told his mother that he believed his teacher did not like him. Saddened by what she heard, Pupil K's parent immediately arranged multiple meetings to get to the bottom of the problem. Over the next few months, Pupil K's parent worked with the teacher to change Pupil K's behaviors; however, Pupil K's behaviors got worse. That's when she called Dr. Owens. Dr. Owens worked one on one with her to plan and implement strategies that she could easily do at home. Together, Pupil K's parent and Dr. Owens met with the teacher and principal to discuss how to implement school based strategies to improve his behavior and, ultimately, Pupil K's performance in school. In a few weeks, Pupil K mom saw a positive change in her son's attitude and behavior at school. Today, Pupil K has had little to no behavior problems and is earning higher grades. 

With the school year ending, Pupil B's parents were every disappointed with his progress towards the educational goals listed in his educational plan. Since Pupil B was identified with an intellectual disability, she was afraid he was not being afforded an opportunity to earn a high school diploma. His mom voiced her concern at several meetings over the course of the year. She did everything she was told her to do including reading more with her son and designating a homework space at home; however, there was little change. She got in contact with Dr. Owens and immediately felt relieved to have someone understand her frustration and confirm her intuition that her son could do more. In less than a month, Pupil B had an IEP that reflected his mother's aspirations for his academic career.  With Dr. Owens help, she is more confident in knowing her son will receive the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. 

Pupil M is identified with an intellectual disability and her guardian was concerned about her student's level of independence and career options after graduating from high school. She felt her student lacked fundamental independent living skills and was not prepared to graduate from high school by the end of the school year. Frustrated with the school's responses, she reached out to Dr. Owens for help. Dr. Owens worked one on one with Pupil M's aunt and went with her to school meetings. After a couple of months of working with Dr. Owens, Pupil M had a much stronger IEP that included better transitional strategies and a career plan. Today, Pupil M is working in a career that supports her aspiration of living more independently.  

The teachers and staff felt overwhelmed with inappropriate toddler behaviors. Poor behavior management skills were a major concern. The school leader reached out to Dr. Owens and together they planned a seminar to prepare their faculty with effective classroom management techniques.  The consecutive instructional sessions lessons blended best practice with the principles and values of the faith based school. Teacher and staff were engaged and provided a wealth of strategies to improve toddler behaviors. At the end of the seminar, all participants earned professional development credit towards their certification and felt more confident in managing student behaviors. 

There are very limited options of school choice in our region. With large international companies coming to the Lowcountry, the curriculum design proposed by Monarch Educational Enterprises for a bilingual PK - 12 is a welcomed option. The design included best practices to support the academic achievement for students with disabilities, English language learners, and high achievers.  Although it is in the planning phase, it is a promising plan that will change the educational landscape of the Lowcountry.