Student Success
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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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Our Libraries Are More Than Libraries: Creating Connection in a Device-Heavy World
At last week’s school board meeting, we discussed changes to our student cell phone and wireless communication device policy. Part of the reason for the update is a new Michigan requirement that limits students’ use of wireless communication devices during instructional time. The state law establishes a baseline for districts, including specific exceptions for things…
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Expanding Pathways Beyond the Classroom
Congratulations to Northwest Education Services’ Career Tech for being recognized by the Michigan Department of Education through its “Spotlighting Effective Strategies” initiative. This recognition highlights Career Tech’s work creating meaningful pathways from high school to postsecondary education, additional training, industry credentials, and high-demand careers through rigorous academics and real-world experience. As a school board member,…
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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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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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What Does Success After Graduation Look Like?
As we get ready to celebrate our graduates this Friday and Sunday, what does success after graduation really look like? Our Portrait of a Graduate helps answer that question. More than a list of academic requirements, it reflects the knowledge, skills, character, and dispositions we want every student to develop before they leave our schools…
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National Headlines, Local Data: Continuing the Conversation About Screens in Classrooms
Following the recent conversation around the Wall Street Journal’s reporting* on YouTube, Chromebooks, and screen use in American classrooms, I wanted to share some information presented at last week’s Curriculum Committee meeting. One finding that stood out: among 127 of our elementary classrooms reporting, the most common Chromebook usage in math, reading, science, and social…
TY FOR TCAPS 