Hamtramck Public Schools (HPS) 2024–2025 school year budget received a $2 million boost thanks to a grant from the Michigan Department of Education. The grant supports accelerated learning initiatives by providing funds to hire instructional coaches. The coaches provide support services to address student learning needs and accelerate their progress.
Over the course of the school year, the coaches worked closely with teachers and students to identify learning gaps and implement strategies to promote academic growth. For teachers, the coaches provided resources and guidance in order to integrate evidence-based instruction strategies into the curriculum.
“At HPS, coaches are highly skilled with specific focus areas such as early literacy, secondary social studies, and multilingual support, allowing them to address a wide range of instructional needs,” said Heather Kuehneman, executive director of Student Achievement for Hamtramck Public Schools.
Although originally slated for the 2023–2024 school year, the program will now run for two years, beginning with the 2024–2025 school year and ending with the 2025–2026 school year.
The 2024–2025 school year began with HPS hiring eight permanent accelerated learning coaches and two temporary coaches. After the 2025–2026 school year, HPS plans to continue the employment of the eight coaches through a different funding source.
“These coaches are essential to HPS’ mission of providing equitable, high-quality education for all students,” said Kuehneman. “They play a critical role in helping teachers address learning gaps that may have been exacerbated by the pandemic, especially for underserved student populations.”
During the current school year, the coaches are spending time building their capacity by attending general coaching, professional learning and specialized training sessions. They are also developing and delivering professional learning to district teachers as well as completing coaching to support new teachers, both to the profession and to the district.
During the summer and coming school year, the coaches will lead optional teacher professional development sessions, create a new teacher induction program, and lead mentoring professional development that is required annually for new teachers in their first, second, and third years of teaching.
“This comprehensive approach ensures that the coaches are well-prepared to have a meaningful and lasting impact on both student achievement and teacher development,” Kuehneman said.
