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Alliance For Learning

Oak Park schools are improving with help from local business leaders.

Township resident who
owned Macauley Office
RENA FULKA
Supply in Oak Park on
Special to The Jewish News
Greenfield and Eight Mile
Road, had started Student of
fter years of decline,
the Month and Job
t he school system in
Shadowing programs for the
Oak Park is beginning
Oak Park Chamber of
A o turn around,
Commerce years earlier, and
thanks to some hard work by an
he didn't want to lose the
unusual alliance of school and
involvement when the
city officials with business lead-
Chamber disbanded in 1993,--"
ers. The coalition is being cited
"For me, this was part of
as a model in reshaping educa-
trying to give a little back to
tion for other sub-par Michigan
the community as a business
schools.
person," he said.
Student performance on
Under Rugh's guidance,
standardized state tests have
Macauley and other Chamber
reversed their decline — they
members became the nucleus
rose 10 percent in the latest tab-
for the Oak Park Business
ulation. Last year, 52 Oak Park
and Education Alliance
High School seniors — nearly a
(OPBEA). Macauley actively
third of the class — scored 18
recruited new members,
or higher on the American
increasing the roster from 10
College Test (ACT), more than
to 40 businesses and commu-
five times as many as in 1991.
nity groups.
And, to the deep satisfaction
The Alliance was incorpo-
of the district's education offi-
rated as a non-profit organi-
Lake Township resident who had an
cials, the system is meeting
zation in 1994, and it hired as its execu-
for students at risk due to economic or
more than three-quarters of the
office in Royal Oak at the time. "The
tive director Clare Kabel, a Bloomfield
social factors.
demanding performance goals that the
single most important thing to do to
Hills resident who was already doing
Oak Park School Superintendent
system set for itself six years ago.
protect a community is to work
community relations work. She says tIE:\/
Alexander
Bailey
is
universally
credited
The district wasn't always in trouble.
through the schools. This was a
Alliance tries to support the school
as a key figure in the current
The schools were highly regarded in the
school district of a size that we
improvement plan "by providing
turnaround. When he left
Students
decades after World War II and were a
could get our arms around and
reward and recognition for students
to
take
on a
Benton Harbor in 1991
quickly see if we could, in fact,
magnet for families moving from
who
meet their performance goals."
field trip visit make a difference."
the superintendency in Oak
Detroit, among them thousands of Jews
"I'm
a mother and a grandmother. I
Media
One's
Park, he was greeted with plum-
Representatives from the
who grew up in Oak Park. But the
realize how very important it is to say
studio.
meting
state
test
scores,
deflated
town changed over the years and many
school district and Consumers
hooray to children, encourage them and
spirits and a budget running $2
families moved to more distant suburbs.
Energy began a series of meet-
recognize their success," said Kabel.
million
in
the
red.
Now the student body of the district
ings with every element of the school
"And the kids like to be recognized. „_/
With
help
from
the
staff
and
the
— which includes all of Oak Park, half
district and the community, ranging
They love the attention."
mayor, Gerald Naftaly, he put in place . a
of Royal Oak Township and a small
from students, parents, teachers and
As Macauley's student recognition
five-year plan that called for some radi-
parr of Southfield — is 72 percent
administrators to small business own-
.programs
flourished through the
cal changes.
African American and 22 percent
ers, religious groups, community orga-
OPBEA, others continued to emerge.
"Our theme was, 'The highest form
Middle Eastern (mostly Chaldean). The
nizations and government representa-
The Certainty of Opportunity program
of insanity is doing the same thing the
remaining 6 percent includes a small
tives.
offers either a full-time job, financial
same way and expecting different
Together they developed 23 perfor-
group of Hmung from Vietnam.
assistance for post-secondary education
results,"'
said
Bailey.
It
is
a
philosophy
Jews now represent about one-third
mance goals for the district's students,
or assistance in a military career for stu-
he continues to preach.
of the 31,000 residents, and most are
teachers and administrators, with per-
dents meeting the terms of their
A second crucial part of the change
Orthodox families who send their chil-
formance on each objective computer-
"Contracts for Success." The Wade
came from Tom Rugh, an executive of
dren to religious schools, or empty-
tracked throughout the year.
McCree, Jr. Incentive Scholarship c–\
Consumers Energy, then called
The plan, the.Oak Park Education
nesters.
Program guarantees a full-tuition col-
Consumers Power Company.
Initiative, was put in place for the 1992
The district includes some of the
lege scholarship for any student with a
"Consumers Energy, seven years ago,
poorest households in Oakland County.
school year.
3.0 grade point average.
decided it needed to get more active in
Another key player joined a year
Thirty-five percent of the district's stu-
School to Work programs offer
certain communities to protect the eco-
dents are eligible for free or reduced-
later.
career
development seminars and
nomic health and vitality of those com-
price lunches. The district gets nearly
Jack Macauley, a Bloomfield
munities," explained Rugh, a White
$1 million a year in special state grants

7/3
1998

118

Cz\