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Mississippi’s Reading Miracle: A Lesson for Michigan?
Between 2013 and 2024, reading scores for the lowest-performing students dropped significantly across 40+ states — but one state defied the trend: Mississippi. Despite being the poorest state in the country, Mississippi’s literacy gains—especially among Black and low-income students—are now leading the nation. How? They didn’t just tweak policy. They invested in literacy coaches, screened…
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Uncomfortably bold
I love this public comment from last week’s school board meeting, which advocated for the new strategic plan to be uncomfortably bold with measurable goals to significantly reduce the achievement gap between students from low-income and financially comfortable families. Thank you, May Van Valin. You can watch her full comment. Tonight is our second meeting…
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All means all – an opportunity for better
July 7th update: The next strategic plan meeting will be on August 11th – and another one will be on August 25th. Our Curriculum Committee will also discuss it tomorrow at their meeting. Here’s that agenda – note presentation slides linked at the top. And you can subscribe to have school board meetings agendas and…
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A Community for Student Success: Building a Districtwide Tutoring Network
If equity becomes a pillar (and closing our student achievement gap becomes a priority) of our next strategic plan, what could/should a district-wide Student Success Network look like? One idea: a robust team of trained, intentional tutors to help level the playing field like this Math Club crew at Traverse Heights Elementary. They have been…
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Behind the Bell: TeachMichigan Fellows Thrive at Blair Elementary
Behind The Bell is a monthly storytelling series that takes readers beyond the classroom and into the heart of Traverse City Area Public Schools’ mission, values, vision and strategic goals. Through inspiring profiles, this series highlights the people, programs, and moments that shape our schools and connect our community. From unsung heroes to innovative initiatives,…
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