GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-At her State of the Schools address in April, Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall-Neal said one goal is to help leaders in the school district “be the best” leaders they can be. Five schools in West Michigan are half way into a four-year commitment to do just that, thanks to a generous $2-million donation from the Steelcase Foundation and Ed Trust Midwest.
Stocking Elementary and Sibley Elementary in the Grand Rapids District and Wyoming Intermediate, Parkview and Gladiola Elementary in the Wyoming District are involved in a four-year plan program through Ed(ucation) Trust Midwest’s “Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning” program. Chad Tolson, the Director of Ed Trust Midwest, says the ultimate goal is to make Michigan a Top 10 state in education.
“In Michigan, we're struggling and I don't think that's any kind of secret," said Tolson. "But it's not due to a lack of really great teaching and great schools. We feel like it's a lack of investment in building teacher capacity.”
Tolson adds the goal of the program is to make good teachers, great, and to make great teachers, leaders.
“As a principal often times, the effective-to-highly effective teachers, we pat them on the back and tell them, 'great job, keep doing what you're doing'. We don't really help them grow.”
In addition principals learn from other principals, teacher leaders teach other teachers the best ways to be effective leaders, and parents get more involved, which is not easy at a school like Stocking Elementary, which includes six different languages. The Ed Trust team will be around for two more years after this school year ends, but the belief is the impact will last much longer.
“The buildings that have been effective over time have principals leave, support comes and goes, but they remain strong, and that's because of the teachers,” said Tolson.
JoAnn Riemersma, the principal at Stocking Elementary, who is also part of the program and adds, “Even if Ed Trust Midwest leaves, we've got this built-in and ingrained in the culture of Stocking school, so that it can move forward.”
