Social Justice Curriculum: Teaching context and empowering conversation.
Partnerships for Progress: Expanding opportunities and improving results.
Leading the Way: Meet the new administrators and what they are adding.
Developing the Future: Bond-funded projects are making major improvements.
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New curriculum gives students the context to interpret historical and contemporary injustices.
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Leveraging outside organizations to expand equitable access to our advanced curriculum and career pathways.
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Meet the newest leaders of Ferndale Schools, and discover their wealth of experience.
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All Stories: by Jason Naumann
View our visualizations of the environmental impact from 2020 Bond projects completed this year.
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Bond-funded facility improvements are transforming the district with better learning environments & infrastructure.
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Editors: Bill Good, Tom Maes, & Camille Hibbler
Photos: by Brian Sevald and Jamie Stottlemyer | Design, Layout & Infographic: by Jason Naumann Superintendent, Ferndale Schools: Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, PhD Board of Education: President Sandra N. Dukhie, Vice President Jennifer LaTosch, Secretary Jackie Hart, Treasurer Jonathan Turner, Trustees Mike Davisson, Sarah Elturk & Mary Fulmer
Hello Ferndale Family, and welcome to our latest issue of Local: A Community Magazine. In this issue, we will be presenting to you our ongoing equity journey. Following the guideposts set by you in the Strategic Plan, we have developed partnerships and programs to diligently expand our academic offerings to serve more of our community and continue to elevate our standards to provide each individual student with the supports needed for outstanding outcomes.
Our goal as educators is to provide opportunities that open the world to our students. In order to accomplish this, we first have to open ourselves to the world. You will discover new partnerships with Equal Opportunity Schools and AVID which benefit our students directly with greater access to rigorous course curriculum and executive functioning skills while also providing high-quality professional learning opportunities to develop our staff and institutional capacity for empathy and awareness.
Changing political and social landscapes have brought several longstanding concerns to the forefront of our national attention over the past several years, and it is important to provide context and opportunities for students to interpret, understand, and engage with these conversations as they become active citizens of our society. The equity task force has led the development of Social Justice curriculum opportunities across our district. We have provided some insight in this magazine to how our high school level Social Justice 1 & 2 electives encourage students to explore historically
marginalized people and communities from theory to practice, providing access to local actors and programs sowing the seeds of change.
I am excited to bring fresh perspectives and enthusiasm to this mission. Along with several new leaders who you will meet in this issue, I am expanding opportunities and access to professional certification and skills training within our schools, bringing new and improved STEAM resources to all of our students, and extending the college and career pathways with improved early college curriculum. I look forward to presenting these innovations to the community throughout the year, and working with you to improve on the work that has only just begun.
Thank you for joining us in this mission, and for engaging with this magazine as a willing and active participant in our community’s education. A broad diversity of experience and circumstances have brought us all together, and we welcome all of your voices and your truths as we tell the story of where we have come from and where we are going.
In Education, Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, PhD Superintendent Ferndale Schools
“We have to confront ourselves. Do we like what we see in the mirror? And, according to our light, according to our understanding, according to our courage, we will have to say yea or nay – and rise!” Maya AngelouDr. Bobbie Hayes Goodrum
High school students have lots to navigate. Balancing friends, fitness, academics,social status, and family in a frequently changing environment can be challenging enough. Students today also are surrounded by current events more than ever, and expectations are high for the next generation to make major improvements to the society they are inheriting. A new course curriculum aims to build students’ confidence in where the future should be directed by developing their own critical perspective on the past and present.
The high school course catalogs tell us that Social Justice 1 & 2 students, “...will understand how individuals operate within community contexts created through interactions and relationships structured by sociability, belonging, and responsibility. This course will encourage students to think critically and expansively about the social world and the conditions of humanity. Social Justice will provide a foundation for students to explore social justice concepts, issues, and remedies, thereby developing the necessary tools and information to see inequality and injustice and address historical and contemporary issues relevant to students’ present day lives.”
This educational lens is in keeping with current standards for history and social justice curriculum, which have been developing a critical eye on the predominant stories of the past for many years. What makes this series of courses different is the added emphasis on contemporary actors and analysis of their strategies and effectiveness, as well as encouragement for students to engage in restorative action.
The 1st Semester course serves as an introduction to concepts and possible remedies involving several social justice issues, categorized into 7 units:
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Students discuss complex social issues like houselessness, food inequality, upward mobility, and segregation by redlining. Global, national, and state perspectives are all brought into the discussion; but local analysis and on the ground action is where the work happens.
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Second semester course work really begins to engage students with their own community as agents of change. Sarah Rodgers, who teaches the course at University High School, told us, “Second semester is more exploratory. We study current social justice issues in the news, and what is being done about them. We learn about activists, and examine the ways in which they’ve been effective in combating social injustices. We invite guest speakers to our class to engage in discussions about different social justice organizations that they are involved in and take field trips to organizations that are making a change in Detroit [metro]. Additionally, students choose a nonfiction novel related to a social justice issue that they are particularly interested in, as well as completing an action-based research project for the end of the year.”
Kassie Weje, UHS student, said, “I, personally, feel like the social justice course elective at my school is a very important course to take. Not only as a high school student, but as a member of our society as well. It challenges my thinking about society…in a way that I might’ve never thought of before, especially as a Black Nigerian girl who lives in a generation of increasingly prominent social justice battles. This course causes me to learn about a variety of social justice issues that have had long-term effects, such as, redlining and housing discrimination, voter suppression, environmental racism, and mass incarceration. This class helps me to consider different perspectives, and challenges me to be open-minded. I would say that the class teaches me about a lot of the terms that I had heard used, but that I didn’t really understand. It helps the complex and almost scary subject of ‘society’ not seem so intimidating. Social justice issues will never have an easy answer, but learning about the issues can change the views of a person, and help them find their place in our confusing world. I know this because, even in the short time I’ve been in this class, I can say with confidence that it’s definitely changing the way I think.”
The course materials were developed through the work of our Equity Development Team. This team of classroom teachers and administrators has been charged with creating meaningful and sustained equity integrations throughout the learning journey. The foundation of this work is the Equity Library for use in classrooms and at home: a collection of new books selected for their representation of different walks of life, cultural or personal experiences and human perspectives. Many of these books were introduced and shared with the community at the Diversity Bookfest in May of last year. K-5 students benefit from an Equity Connections component for every part of their Social Emotional Learning curriculum which integrates these books from our Equity Library and videos.
“The class teaches me about a lot of the terms that I had heard used, but I didn’t really understand.”
The district Strategic Plan holds equity as its central tenant, stating that these goals “will only be achieved if their benefits are accessible to all members of our community.” Developing the resources to achieve these goals across all of our community requires an openness to collaborate with partners who can share their strengths.
Two of these key partnerships are with AVID and Equal Opportunity Schools, two programs that offer institutional and classroom-level support to achieve our college- and career-readiness curriculum goals with equity across historically underrepresented groups.
Through our work with EOS, we have recruited and increased the percentage of students of color in AP courses, have developed a support plan to ensure that the newly enrolled students are supported and provided significant staff training and professional learning in areas including culturally responsive teaching, explicit anti-bias training and inclusive practices, to ensure that those support structures achieve the desired results.
Our results indicate that we are making headway towards our goal. From the 2019-2020 school year to the 2021-2022 school year, black students participating in at least one AP course grew from 31% of the total participants to 44% of the total participants. As we continue to look at specific opportunity gaps within the district, our continued focus on specific areas of improvement will continue to help us align our outcomes with our strategic plan goals of providing equitable services to all our students.
EOS has been a reliable partner since 2019, as we began the journey of building staff understanding. One of the most valuable insights from district work with EOS was learning about unconscious biases and poverty-related issues. Instructors led teachers and staff to recognize the lens through which they view the world, enabling them to pro-actively moderate their interpretation of assessment data to make recommendations without biases. Commonly, GPA is a primary factor for making AP recommendations.
EOS focuses their strategies on improving enrollment in AP courses. Ferndale Schools extends these strategies to provide equitable access to Honors and Early College courses, as well. “We recognize that student success is an individualized endeavor that may look different for every student. There are many pathways to success and we want to ensure that there are no barriers to any of our students participating in these experiences,” said Ferndale Schools Superintendent Bobbie Hayes Goodrum.
As Ferndale Schools students enter FMS and begin their Secondary education, they are encouraged to start considering plans and aspirations beyond our walls. One of the programs that supports this mission is AVID.
Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID, is an elective course available as early as 6th grade. Students develop and reinforce attitudes, skills, and knowledge to successfully enter and complete a college prep academic program in high school and beyond through their own merits. The course guides them to develop study skills and learning strategies like goal setting, time management, and research skills to improve academic performance. Strands of learning include writing, inquiry, collaboration, organization, and reading.
Inquiry and critical thinking is encouraged, through independent and cooperative peer groups like “Tutorials.” Twice a week, students engage in tutorials where everyone brings a specific question from the week’s lessons and discusses it. Through inquiry, the question is narrowed to the specific point of confusion and then illuminated through conversation. These executive functioning skills to communicate, clarify, and inquire are immensely valuable in the modern knowledge economy and in every problem-solving situation life will throw at you.
AVID students are also immersed in a college-going culture, with research projects and field trips to colleges and universities to explore possible career pathways more in-depth. This strategy is proven to boost post-secondary readiness in historically underrepresented groups.
The AVID partnership supports more than students who elect to take the course. AVID also provides scaffolded support that educators need to encourage college and career readiness and success. Ferndale Schools Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment department incorporates AVID Professional Learning Opportunities with other course materials to deepen the impact across all of our campuses over time. “We are moving to share proven strategies for student success with as many students as possible,” says Tom Maes.
These professional development opportunities include culturally responsive teaching and practices that work across multiple sub-groups. Teachers learn how to better foster a Growth Mindset from K-12, establish and encourage collaborative study groups, and more.
As these two academic partnerships continue to improve outcomes, we are developing more integrations and connections to increase access and opportunity for our students. Other opportunities include early college credit through Oakland Technical Early College (OTEC) and Oakland Schools Accelerated College Experience (ACE). We also facilitate skills training through Oakland Schools Technical Campus (OSTC), professional certifications through TCEC Workforce, and advanced curriculum as stewards of the Center for Advanced Studies and the Arts.
Learn more about these programs on our website.
Dr. Goodrum has been busy surrounding herself with a capable team of new faces and skill sets to lead the next generation of Ferndale Schools students. These top-level administrators are an exciting addition to our district.
MS.=Masters of Science in Education M.A. =Masters of Arts in Education Ed. S =post-masters Educational Specialist degree
Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment
Camille has 15+ years experience in education, including 10 years as a Building and Central Office Administrator. Camille holds her M.S. in Educational Leadership.
Michael has 15+ years as a K-12 educator /building administrator, a M.S. in Secondary Education and her Ed.S degree in Educational Leadership.
Dr. Goodrum has 23 years of experience as an educator and has worked as a teacher, special education supervisor, director of special education, principal and Assistant Superintendent of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She holds a Ph.D in Educational Leadership, an Sp. A. in Educational Administration, an M.A. in Teaching Special Education, and is proud to have earned her Bachelors from Howard University.
Special Education Supervisor
Valencia holds an Ed.S in Special Education, an M.A. in Curriculum & Instruction, and 20+ years of experience in classrooms & programs. Valencia believes in setting high expectations for students with a disability.
Assistant Principal of TCEC
Megan has an Ed. S in Leadership and Administration with over 10 years of classroom experience.
Bond improvements are saving money and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases at Ferndale Schools. The new boiler plant at FHS is saving 181 metric tons of CO2 . Similar savings are expected at TCEC, FECC and UHS after scheduled improvements are completed in Spring 2023. All statistics provided by the Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator at EPA.gov.
family roadtrips
REDWOODSPortland, Maine
Carbon dioxide CO2 released by burning fuels needs to be pulled out of the air by plants and stored in wood & leaves or passed into soil.
By producing less CO2, we are reducing the devastating impacts of deforestation and urban expansion.
Over the past 2 years, substantial construction projects have been completed at all of our school buildings using funds from the community-supported 2020 Bond. These improvements continue to fulfill our commitments to advancing security and expanding flexible 21st Century learning environments while preserving and restoring our facilities as community assets.
Replacing outdated and inefficient heating and electrical systems has been a major undertaking using bond funds. Boiler plants have been replaced at TCEC and FHS this year, dramatically reducing operational costs and improving learning environments at both facilities. See our infographic for more info on how much environmental impact the new boilers will have year after year. Ferndale Early Childhood Center and UHS in the Coolidge Building will also see similar improvements with their new boilers, planned for early 2023. TCEC also received a new building envelope and roof restoration over the summer, further improving efficiency.
The Jackson Park site of the new K-2 Elementary school is quickly nearing completion. The construction team is almost done installing the 153,000 concrete masonry blocks and 180,000 bricks that need to be installed. The project is expected to be completed on time by late December 2023, and will welcome students for fall semester 2024.
The 2020 Bond was guided by a ten year vision to improve every facility operated by Ferndale Schools over the next decade. What we could not have foreseen at that time is the dramatic increase in construction costs. In the two years since we passed the 2020 bond with over 80% community support, construction costs have almost doubled, limiting our ability to deliver on all of our promises. The possibility of a new Bond has been considered since summer of 2022, when we began to investigate a number of avenues to address this major concern.
While this process was ongoing, we were informed by the City of Ferndale that they would be returning the Kulick Center property to our stewardship. In 2000, the City of Ferndale and Ferndale Schools had entered into a 30-year lease agreement for the Kulick Center and its property. This lease agreement called for the City to pay the school district $1 per year for use of the building we own, while they were responsible for all maintenance of the property. Now that the Kulick property has been returned to our stewardship, Ferndale Schools is committed to maintaining ownership and maximizing the benefits this location offers to our community.
Leadership is considering planned and potential projects to address the changing needs of the district. Community engagement will be welcomed at future town hall-style meetings. Thank you for your continued support of your Ferndale Schools.
This summer, FHS removed it’s second swimming pool, saving over $100K annual maintenance costs. In its place, a state-of-the-art fitness center with wellness classrooms was installed. The remaining pool was also updated with better lighting, acoustics, tiling, a new starting block system, and energy efficiencies.
Ferndale High School fitness center supports lifelong wellness.
