Brilliant Elementary is located in Northwest Alabama in Marion County.  We are a rural, community school with minimum local funding but maximum resources through the strong commitment from our community and stakeholders.  The school is at the heart of our community.  Our enrollment is 212 students at the present time.  While we have a strong work effort, we have limited local industries; therefore, people travel out of town to work.  This has been a problem in our area as a whole but does seem to be improving somewhat.  Our mayor and town council along with the community have dedicated a portion of a cent of sales tax for the two schools.  This local support allows us to supplement state allocations.  School is a high priority in Brilliant Alabama.

            The school’s stability and high expectations may be attributed to the fact that there have been only a few administrators in the school’s history and only 2 during the past twenty-five years.  The administration has held common goals and visions of high expectations for students and staff.  We have finally realized the addition of classrooms, a new gymnasium and computer lab. Brilliant Elementary provides a nurturing environment for all students.

            Accountability and data driven instruction is supporting changes in our schools along with those in the state.  Teachers are learning to disaggregate data, differentialize instruction and communicate more frequently with parents.  This along with strategic planning among and across grade levels is a strengthening of our curriculum and helps us to better meet students needs.  Students are becoming aware of goals and objectives and how learning encompasses the whole curriculum.  They are learning to work as a team, think outside the box and apply skills in various areas in new ways.

            The students, staff, faculty and parents have met the challenge of change in curriculum matters.  While this makes the school more accountable, students are showing more improvement with programs such as ARI, AMSTI, etc.  The staff at BES is working to ensure that the students in their care are prepared for a world where success will hinge on what they know and can do and how well they choose and use their resources, while working with people in teams.  We realize that the time we have with students is precious and that instructional time cannot be wasted.  The administrator today has to also insure that the environment is safe and conducive to learning.  School safety has become more important than ever.

            BES is a “Six Star Exemplary School” – We are accredited by SACS/CASI; participate in ARI and AMSTI; are an AYP Honor School; an AYP school of choice and are a SIG/PBS school that participates in the school improvement grant to promote discipline in schools.  It has been noted that we have much to offer at BES and that our school climate is very conducive to learning.

            Our teachers are all Highly Qualified according to the No Child Left Behind mandate. Most of our teachers have advanced degrees or are in college working toward an advanced degree.  Our teachers and staff work well together to give our students a true love for learning and a good work ethic.  We truly understand the seriousness of our work.

            In the future I believe our school must continue to improve in our technology instruction and be concerned about raising the bar for our students and help them to become even better prepared for the future.  We must continue to instill the importance of becoming lifelong learners due to the average person making as many as three career moves in a lifetime.  As education continues to move at a fast pace and is more scientifically developed and research based our staff has to become accustomed to dealing with change.  We must learn to utilize the current trends to ensure the best education for all our children.  We must continue to carefully plan and teach toward the future.