Priorities
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Relentlessly: My Favorite Word in TCAPS’ Vision Statement
re·lent·less·ly adverb: in an unceasingly intense way. I love that we include this word in our district’s vision: “An educational community providing opportunities and resources to relentlessly support all learners in achieving their full potential.” When it comes to supporting all of our kids, let’s be relentless.
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My 5 Takeaways from Michigan Association of School Boards’ Spring Institute
Last weekend, I had the opportunity to attend the Michigan Association of School Boards’ (MASB) Spring Institute—a powerful gathering of school board members from across the state. The sessions were packed with inspiration, practical tools, and thoughtful conversations about how we can better serve students, families, and our communities. Here are my five key takeaways:…
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Educational Equity + AI = A Must-Have Conversation.
Aaron Baughman — a self-professed “Title I kid” from Detroit — knocked it out of the park at the Michigan Association of School Boards Spring Institute Conference this past weekend. He made it clear: there’s an equity imperative in AI adoption. Level the playing field – reduce learning disparities Guard against gaps – prevent tech…
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Educational Equity, TCAPS and Carrying on Holly’s Work
Tomorrow, we’ll appoint someone to fill Holly’s seat on the school board. Losing Holly still hurts — she was a fierce champion for marginalized kids, and for advancing equitable access to opportunity and inclusive education throughout our district. Most recently, she helped bring forward a request to form an educational equity ad hoc committee this…
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Equity Is the Antidote: A Call for Courage in Strategic Planning
“Your letter paints equity as a threat. But equity is not the threat. It’s the antidote to decades of failure. Equity is what ensures all students have a fair shot. Equity is what makes it possible for a child with a speech impediment to present at the science fair. It’s what helps the nonverbal kindergartner…
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The number of economically disadvantaged kids in Traverse City isn’t falling
Bridge Michigan recently published this story – “Michigan districts brace for cuts, as number of needy students falls.” The problem is – the title is misleading. The number of economically disadvantaged kids here in Traverse City isn’t falling. But the number of local, low-income families filling out state paperwork is (free school meals—a very good…
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The #1 Job of a School Board is…
This post was originally published as a newsletter sent on March 20th, 2025. You can subscribe HERE. Happy (early) spring break to all those who celebrate. According to the Michigan Association of School Boards, the primary function of a board of education “is to oversee the education of students in the community.” Big thanks to…
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TCAPS Graduation Rates On The Rise
“In today’s world, if you don’t have a high school diploma, it’s just awfully hard to get ahead and not live in poverty,” Traverse City Area Public Schools Superintendent John VanWagoner said. Our recent graduation rates*: * 4-year graduation rates **Graduation rate for our economically disadvantaged students in 2022/23 = 68%. In 2023/24 = 74%…
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50% of Traverse City’s opportunity 3rd graders are not proficient in reading
50% (229)* of our at-risk opportunity 3rd graders (452)** are not proficient in reading. Are we doing everything we can to help our kids who are furthest from opportunity succeed? Solutions We (our community) can do a better job of helping all of our kids succeed by: - Leveraging best practice policies to close the…
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Opportunity: 42% of Traverse City’s 3rd graders are not proficient in reading
42% of our 3rd graders are not proficient in reading*. On a state level, the gap between economically challenged kids and those who are not is around 30 percentage points (I haven’t seen TCAPS data on this but I expect similar challenges here). Student achievement equity is a critical issue Our recent study sessions on…
TY FOR TCAPS 