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TCAPS News/Events
All TCAPS' press releases are posted on this Web site on a regular basis. The most current press releases can be viewed below by clicking on the heading of the release you wish to view. To view past press releases, please select a month from the archives on the right. For more information on other events happening throughout the district, visit our Calendar page.
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Jul
7
Written by:
- TCAPS
7/7/2009
Traverse City, Michigan --- One year ago the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District (TBAISD) redefined its vision and mission in a way that some followers initially questioned due to the profound scope of the objective. TBAISD Vision: to be the best educational system in the world. TBAISD Mission: Leading Lifetime Learning. Both identify the aim of this educational organization to expect and attain higher levels of achievement in every step of one’s educational experience. TBAISD Superintendent, Mike Hill, reassured his staff during his August 2008 opening day meeting by quoting Michelangelo: “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss, but that it is too low and we reach it.”
In April 2009 State Superintendent of Public Education, Mike Flanagan, issued a challenge to reform public education and re-imagine Michigan’s educational system through innovative strategies that will encourage every student to achieve and surpass past expectations: A challenge that fits right in with the new vision of TBAISD. Flanagan has given Michigan's 500-plus districts until August 14 to submit proposals to recreate the current education system and take student achievement to the next level. A proposal that potentially may allow schools to cut through the bureaucratic red tape and teach kids a way of learning that encourages them to go beyond any limit of expectation. "The current model doesn't work for all kids," Flanagan said. Administrators from Traverse Bay Area ISD and school districts throughout the five-county region concede with this statement and are anxiously stepping up to the challenge.
The Michigan Department of Education Project ReImagine is offering 20 selected demonstration districts an opportunity to re-imagine how public education is delivered in terms of both teaching and learning and develop an improved culture of achievement for Michigan students. “The likelihood that the state will reduce school funding is apparent, which makes this challenge very desirable, if not necessary,” Mike Hill confesses. “The fact that all the districts within the Traverse Bay region are jumping on board with the collaborative work on a reimagine proposal of our own is inspiring,” Hill adds.
Hill goes on to explain the inherent value the Traverse Bay region offers in regard to the strength of our communities, the foresight of The Grand Vision project, and the diverse landscape providing opportunity for success in business, arts, culture, science, agriculture, industry, and entrepreneurship. Significant levels of involvement and collaboration from leaders across the ISD have provided valuable contributions to this project. The group is generating ideas that could break the mold of “seat time” or numbered instruction days and focus on readiness, ability, flexibility, and performance based credit with tailored individual education development plans.
Over the next few weeks Traverse Bay area administrators, educators and community representatives will be developing a strategy that will convince Mr. Flanagan and the Michigan Department of Education that the vision TBAISD already has their sights set on; to become the best educational system in the world, has a defined sense of reality, opportunistic resources and an existing collaborative body that offers the determination to reinvent and demonstrate a new culture of education right here in northern Michigan. Imagine!
An initial regional community stakeholders meeting will take place on Tuesday, July 14 from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the TBAISD Conference Center, 1101 Red Drive, Traverse City. The ISD is inviting students, parents, superintendents, teachers, staff, board members and community leaders from throughout our five-county region. The goal of the meeting will be to share a brief outline of proposal requirements, share the Project ReImagine committee’s work to date and most importantly, get stakeholder input into what the stakeholders would like to see our proposal contain.
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