Carolyn B Parker Elementary School in Gainesville, Florida on DonorsChoose

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Their curiosity really grew - especially in the younger grades - and they started approaching challenges with more confidence and persistence.\r\n\r\nNot only did my students grow through this project - I did too. These units pushed me to shift my role from \"delivering content\" to truly facilitating learning. I became more intentional about the questions I asked - moving away from quick, right-or-wrong answers and toward open-ended questions that encouraged deeper thinking. I also grew more comfortable giving students space to explore, make mistakes, and figure things out on their own, even when it felt a little messy.\r\n\r\nI learned how to better guide student-led investigations, help students back up their ideas with evidence, and support productive discussions where students built on each other's thinking. Over time, I saw how powerful it was to step back and let students do the heavy lifting. These are shifts in my teaching that will stick with me and continue to impact my classroom for years to come.\r\n\r\nMy students were genuinely excited to learn when I used this curriculum this year. They felt challenged in a good way and were proud of the kind of thinking they were doing. Science became more than just a subject - it became something they could explore, question, and connect to the real world.\r\n\r\nThank you for making that possible!","fullyFundedDate":1751562051594,"projectUrl":"project/beyond-the-basics-science-units-for-gif/9415473/","projectTitle":"Beyond the Basics: Science Units for Gifted Explorers","teacherDisplayName":"Mrs. Vaughn","teacherPhotoUrl":"https://storage.donorschoose.net/dc_prod/images/teacher/profile/orig/tp7269335_orig.jpg?crop=1:1,smart&width=272&height=272&fit=bounds&auto=webp&t=1704747513903","teacherClassroomUrl":"classroom/meagan-vaughn"},{"teacherId":7269335,"projectId":9226081,"letterContent":"Thank you so much for supporting our classroom! Because of you, my gifted elementary students now have a fantastic collection of high-interest science books and comics that they are genuinely excited to read.\r\n\r\nMy students are naturally curious and love asking big questions about how the world works. 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About this school

Carolyn B Parker Elementary School is an urban public school in Gainesville, Florida that is part of Alachua County School District. It serves 501 students in grades K - 5 with a student/teacher ratio of 9.8:1. Its teachers have had 46 projects funded on DonorsChoose.

Equity Focus School

Support towards this school will directly impact historically underfunded classrooms.

Public School

Title 1

Grades K - 5

501 Students

51 Teachers

1912 NW 5th Ave

Gainesville, FL 32603 View local requests

http://www.sbac.edu/finley

Direct, proactive support

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Ms. Vero, a DonorsChoose teacher for 9 years.

Kindergarten teacher at PS81 - Robert J. Christen School in Bronx, NY

Carolyn B Parker Elementary School Teachers on DonorsChoose

Ms. Pearman

Mrs. Vaughn

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Carolyn B Parker Elementary School Demographics

95%

of students receive free or reduced price lunch

Source: the National Center for Education Statistics

58%

of students are Black, Latino, Native American, or Asian

Schools in districts that mainly serve students of color receive substantially less state and local support than similar districts that serve primarily White students. Learn more about this gap, why it exists, and how you can help close it.

Carolyn B Parker Elementary School Support on DonorsChoose Last updated Apr 30, 2026

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