Every Halloween at Central Intermediate School, students dress as the profession they want to pursue. To those who know fourth grade inclusion math teacher Ashley Davis, it’s no surprise that each year, dozens of future teachers attend class dressed as their inspiration – “Mrs. Davis.” She has played an instrumental role in developing and enhancing Central Intermediate’s inclusion model, providing a nurturing classroom environment for general and special education students to learn alongside and from each other. Davis fondly describes her daily mission as “creating little leaders”: She empowers her students to excel by implementing research-based lessons and learning strategies tailored to every child, based on student work, data and feedback.
Having struggled with math as a child, Davis draws from personal experience to connect with her students, develop strategies that work, build their confidence, and enhance their social-emotional well-being. Through the district’s alignment to the National Institute for Excellence in Teaching’s (NIET) systems for educator excellence, leadership and professional growth, Davis outlines success criteria for students, engages them in setting pre-assessment goals, and leads post-assessment reflections. The classroom is often filled with lively peer discussions and students sharing their methods for mastering concepts using higher-order thinking and problem-solving. Davis’ students make real-life learning connections for “Lemonade Day,” where they demonstrate their knowledge of counting money, profit and loss, and addition and multiplication by running their own business – then donating their proceeds to St. Jude’s!
Davis is an integral member of Central’s Instructional Leadership Team to drive effective teaching and learning and leads fellow fourth grade math teachers as content chair of their professional learning community. Additionally, she mentors new student teachers and is a certified Mentor Teacher by the Louisiana Department of Education. While Davis observes and reflects on lessons and instructional strategies with her mentees, her co-teaching inclusion classroom is repeatedly used as an example of excellence across her school, for the district’s special education department, and in the state of Louisiana – attracting a visit from State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley.
Davis is known to go above and beyond in supporting her students’ endeavors both inside and outside of the classroom. In her free time, she coaches community recreational youth sports like tee-ball, softball, basketball and soccer. An active member of her church, Davis assists with Sunday school, special programs, and vacation bible school.
Davis earned a Bachelor of Science in education in 2010 from Louisiana State University.
Press Release: Lowell Milken Surprises Louisiana Teacher Ashley Davis with Milestone 3,000th Milken Educator Award and $25,000
