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The Allegan Area Education Service Agency (AAESA) Board of Education was pleased to hear that the Outlook Academy received a Dissemination Grant from the Michigan Department of Education. The grant is for two years, with the first year budget of $120,237, and the second year is expected to be around $100,000. The purpose of the grant two-fold. The first part is an “evaluation” piece. Information will be gathered to measure Outlook’s success at student achievement, behavior, self regulation and social skills, academic and non academic performance of students when they return to their home school, and increased teacher sensitivity and responsiveness to students needs and behaviors. The Outlook Academy will partner with the Southwest Michigan Children’s Trauma Assessment Center and The Evaluation Center at Western Michigan University.
"We are very proud of our staff and students, and the successes Outlook Academy has accomplished in our six years of existence", states Blaine Koops, Outlook Academy Board President and Allegan County Sheriff. "This grant will allow us to examine our data and results to determine where we have succeeded in our curricula and where our growing edges are." The second piece of the grant is “mentorship”. Outlook staff will present at state-wide conferences to help others better understand what a strict discipline academy is and if one is right for their community. Outlook will also help mentor two new strict discipline academies that are planning to open this fall, the Lighthouse Academy in Kent County and another one in Kalamazoo County. "The Outlook staff is excited to have this opportunity to evaluate our program and then be able to share what works with other Strict Discipline Academies across the State of Michigan," shared Tina Maxwell, Outlook Academy Teacher. "This grant will help us build a community among teachers and staff that will enable all of us to learn to be more effective in helping our students succeed in school and in life." The Outlook Academy is a strict discipline academy that enrolls students who have been suspended, expelled, court ordered or IEP’d through the special education process. Outlook is chartered by the AAESA and was first established in the fall of 2002. For more information, to interview staff or board members, and/or schedule an academy visit, see contacts above. |
