NEWS RELEASE
BRIMLEY AREA SCHOOLS
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The Building the Hope Schools collectively demonstrated academic progress that beat state averages, along with an affirming culture of diverse student populations, including students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. As schools across Michigan continue to work to help students recover from the unfinished learning wrought by COVID-19, five Michigan public schools stand as outliers for their exceptional post-pandemic progress for underserved student groups, offering strategies that can be leveraged for educational recovery.
The 2023 Building the Hope Schools – and Schools to Watch — serve high percentages of students of color and/or students from low-income backgrounds, relative to those same subgroups statewide. These public schools are selected for recognition because one or more of their subgroups of students — Black, Latino, and students from low-income backgrounds in particular — demonstrated higher rates of proficiency in English Language Arts and/or math than the overall state average for a given grade level on the state assessment. In addition, they have culturally and linguistically-responsive school-wide practices — including instructional practices — that facilitate students’ outstanding academic progress and growth, making them true outliers in the State of Michigan. All the schools are Michigan public schools. They are geographically diverse — located in Brimley, Holland, Lansing, Wayne and South Haven –further underscoring the possibilities of success for Michigan’s students, no matter their families’ zip code or income.
“Building the Hope Schools truly represent what it means to provide opportunities for all Michigan students, demonstrating that our public schools can make great strides for students who have long been underserved while providing culturally- and linguistically-affirming places for children from all backgrounds,” said Jen DeNeal, director for policy and research for The Education Trust-Midwest, a data-driven education policy, research and advocacy organization that works to close gaps in opportunity and achievement for all children, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, English Learners and students of color.
“These schools serve as exemplars to us all,” DeNeal said. “Their post-pandemic successes show us that academic acceleration is possible and can provide a roadmap, particularly as schools work to help our most underserved students, who were most impacted during COVID-19, recover from the pandemic.”
About the 2023 Building the Hope Schools:
Brimley Elementary located in Brimley, Mich.
Selected as a Building the Hope School because its students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds exceeded statewide scores in both English Language Arts and math in Grades 3 and 6, English Language Arts in Grades 5 and 8 and math in Grade 4. Additionally, more than half of the student population identifies as American Indian, and the school saw substantial academic wins for this subgroup post-pandemic. Lessons are infused with culturally-relevant instruction that allows students to see themselves reflected in what they learn. These strategies contribute to student achievement results that make Brimley an outlier in the state.
Other schools that received this year’s award:
Windemere Park Charter Academy located in Lansing, Mich.
Eagle Crest Charter Academy located in Holland, Mich.
South Haven High School located in South Haven, Mich.
Wayne Memorial High School located in Wayne, Mich.
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