At our recent Curriculum Committee meeting*, we learned about the “Partnership School” model and explored ways in which trained and vetted community members could provide additional academic tutoring in reading and math—especially for students who need extra practice to build literacy and numeracy fluency.
This isn’t about replacing teachers – it’s about surrounding students with more high-quality support.
In a community like Traverse City, we are fortunate to have retired educators, community leaders, and volunteers who care deeply about our schools. Imagine the impact of pairing those individuals with students for consistent tutoring sessions that reinforce classroom instruction and help build confidence in foundational skills.
We’re already seeing a glimpse of this at Traverse Heights Elementary, where community-led tutoring is helping students get extra math practice. The conversation now is about how we thoughtfully grow efforts like this across the district.
Of course, doing this well requires structure.
Volunteer tutors need to be trained, background-checked, reliable, and aligned with TCAPS instructional practices so that the support students receive strengthens what teachers are already doing in the classroom. It also requires coordination—something that takes real time and capacity for building leaders.
That’s why we’re also exploring resources like the state’s MiLEAP** program, which could help support a community engagement or partnership coordinator to organize tutoring efforts and connect volunteers with schools in a consistent, sustainable way.
At its best, a Partnership School model means schools and communities working together so every student has the support they need to succeed.
Traverse City has always been a place where people step up for our kids.
I’m excited about the possibilities to connect that community spirit with committed student support as we look to deliver on our ambitious 2030 Vision***.
* My latest Curriculum Committee Snapshot: https://bit.ly/406IezJ
* Check out what a Partnership School model means in the meeting presentation: https://bit.ly/4kKCo0t
* Watch the meeting: https://bit.ly/40NEJhL
** Learn more about MiLEAP and the “proposed budget also invests millions for tutoring and before-, after- and summer school programming to provide extra learning opportunities beyond the school day for students who need it most”: https://bit.ly/4b8RKZy
*** New 5-year strategic plan: https://bit.ly/tcaps-values
”One of Mr. Swegles’ favorite things to do is read and during March is Reading Month, he’s sharing his love of books and reading with our Eastern Stars. During the month, Mr. Swegles will share a book with every classroom in the school. Today, he read with Mrs. Edwardson’s kindergarten class.”
TY FOR TCAPS 
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