Opportunity
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Supporting Our Mavericks
A really encouraging story in today’s Traverse City Record-Eagle about Traverse City High School. Over the past three years, the school’s on-time graduation rate has nearly doubled, from 23.9% in 2023 to 46.7% in 2025, while the dropout rate fell from 23.9% to 13.0%. That’s what can happen when we build pathways around students’ needs.…
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August Newsletter
August’s newsletter is out – have a great rest of the summer, everyone! • 2026 elementary school math/literacy outcomes • 2026 secondary school math/literacy outcomes • Looking beyond the classroom: Lessons from the Kids Count report • Community partnerships: Creating the conditions for student success • More than buildings: Investing in student success • How…
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Keeping Our Promise: Reporting on the Outcomes We’ve Chosen to Prioritize
One of the promises we made as a Board was to be transparent about the outcomes we’ve chosen to prioritize—and to report our progress along the way. At last week’s Curriculum Committee meeting, we reviewed several of our secondary strategic plan goals, including literacy and math outcomes for 8th graders (PSAT) and 11th graders (SAT).…
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Measuring What Matters: A First Look at TCAPS’ Progress Toward the 2030 Vision
One of the commitments we made in our new 2030 Vision* was to measure what matters—and to share our progress along the way. At yesterday’s Curriculum Committee meeting, we reviewed our latest elementary reading and math outcomes using the NWEA, our district’s benchmark assessment. Unlike the state assessment (M-STEP), which won’t be publicly released until…
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More Than Buildings: Investing in Student Success
Appreciate the Traverse City Record-Eagle for its coverage of the significant construction work happening across our district this summer. These projects are substantial. From major district-wide energy efficiency upgrades to the Central Grade School relocation and renovation work to ongoing traffic and safety improvements at West Senior High. They reflect long-term investments in the spaces…
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Looking Beyond the Classroom: Lessons from the Kids Count Report
I appreciate the Record-Eagle’s continued reporting on education and Kathryn’s work digging into the data behind this year’s KIDS COUNT report. One takeaway for me is that many of the issues affecting children and families are interconnected: • Reading proficiency • Math achievement • Early childhood opportunities • Physical and mental health • Housing stability…
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Are Our Classroom Devices Helping Students Learn?
It’s hard to read stories like this one from Thursday’s Wall Street Journal and not feel a mix of concern – and responsibility. A recent report on the role of YouTube in schools highlights something many families and educators are noticing: students spending large parts of the school day on screens – sometimes learning, and…
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Elementary Math: Facing Our Outcomes, Refocusing Our Work
We have work to do in elementary math. Our most recent (2025) 4th-grade outcomes* make that clear: • All students: 44% proficient • Economically disadvantaged students: 25% • Non-economically disadvantaged students: 55% What matters is how we respond. I appreciate the Curriculum Committee’s discussion this week, digging into how we’re relaunching/refocusing K–5 math instruction. With…
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Stronger Outcomes, Shared Responsibility: A Look at Reading & Math Strategies
Grateful for this week’s Curriculum Committee discussion for sharing a clearer “how” behind Goal 1 (math and reading) of our 2030 Vision*. As a school board member, my focus is on our mission/vision/values (our “why”) and our outcomes (our “what” and “how well”) – including improving our reading and math outcomes for all students and,…
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April’s Newsletter
April’s newsletter is out: • A new chapter in early literacy – raising outcomes and closing opportunity gaps • Parker’s Story – Finding her voice at Central High School • Curriculum Committee Snapshot: Creativity, Opportunity, and Pathways for All • School board meeting agenda highlights • Where are our future surgical techs? • Back to…
TY FOR TCAPS 