In less than a decade, Anna Lane Lingelbach Elementary in Germantown has managed to grow from a bare-bones budget into a statewide star, according to a staff report from the Hartford Courant.

The school was recently visited by Pennsylvania’s top education official who wanted to highlight the impressive work being done there, in part due to its drastic improvement in student performance based on state tests. Within a decade, the percentage of third-grade students who have passed English exams increased by 173 percent, from a low 26 percent to 71 percent.

That is a huge shift for a school that had a $160 discretionary budget 10 years ago. In addition to being financially devastated by state budget cuts, the school was struggling academically and lacking both resources and technology.

But with the enormous amount of hard work put in by both staff and students, as well as thanks to its school principal of nine years, Lisa Waddell, the school has undergone dramatic changes.

Judy Brody, the now-retired regional superintendent responsible for Lingelbach, sees Waddell as the best kind of principal.

“She understands systems, understands that connecting with people and community is what is so important,” said Brody. “She doesn’t dictate, she works collaboratively. She’s the crème de la crème.”

Read more about Anna Lane Lingelbach Elementary in the Hartford Courant.

_____