Context of the Clinical Practice
Grand Blanc Community Schools - Grand Blanc High School
Setting– Community, District and Building Organization & Characteristics
Grand Blanc High School is a large suburban high school located in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The high school student body, grades 9-12, was 2,710 on the October 2013 count day. The school staff consists of over 150 secondary teachers and another 100 or more support staff members. Because of its size, core subjects have large teaching departments, and there are numerous elective and honors courses offered to students. The school consists of a large main “East Campus” and a smaller “West Campus” that used to be the old middle school. As the district expanded, two brand new East and West Middle schools were built ten years ago. The high school absorbed the nearby old middle school to create the high school West Campus. Almost all students have classes in both buildings and must cross between them. It is about a 1/8th of a mile distance between the buildings: students loathe this in inclement weather.
The community of Grand Blanc is defined as Grand Blanc City and Grand Blanc Township. The combined census figures for the two put the community’s population at 45,748 residents in 2010. The racial/ethnic breakdown is as follows: 82% White, 11% Black, 3% Asian, and 3% Hispanic. The community is located in southeastern Genesee County and is a suburb of Flint. The demographics of Grand Blanc follow a Burgess Land Use Model quite closely. Low socio-economic areas are in the north and west, closer to Flint, while medium and high socio-economic areas emerge as you move southeast away from Flint. The income transition affects resources that are dispersed within the community. Additionally, families from the greater Flint area are migrating to the Grand Blanc community for it’s well-respected schools and service industry business district. Overall, Grand Blanc is socio-economically better off than state averages. 13% of the population is defined as a single-parent household with children, in comparison to the state average of 20.5%. 25.6% of residents earn less than $30,000 annually; in comparison the state average of 36.3%. Grand Blanc educational attainment levels are also higher than state averages. 94.1% of residents have at least a high school diploma and 33.5% have at least a bachelor’s degree, in comparison to 88.4% and 25.3% respectively at the state level. Lastly, 12.9% of the community is age 65 or older, in comparison to the sate average of 14.1%.
Students Served
The demographics of the school district closely match the demographics of the community. The racial/ethnic breakdown of the 2,710 students at the high school is as follows: 1,997/73.6% White, 425/15.7% Black, 76/2.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 92/3.4% Hispanic, and 111/4.1% Multiracial. Regarding per pupil funding, Grand Blanc currently spends $7,281 educating each child.
Performance Outcomes or Measures
Grand Blanc’s student proficiency results have been changing over the years as low income/racial minorities have moved into the district from Flint seeking better educational opportunities for their children.
Staff Members & Characteristics
Grand Blanc's staff is very large, employing over 100 certified teachers and another 100 support staff personnel. Students are offered a variety of classes from the required core subjects to specific elective courses. The certified staff is a varied mix of professionals ranging from new teacher to veteran teacher. Most teachers in the building have attained their masters degree in a short amount of time due to the pay scale incentive to do so. As for support staff members, their roles range from campus security, to maintenance personnel, to food service worker.
One important fact to note is the lack of diversity amongst the certified staff members. While teachers in the building serve a demographic population described above, the almost 100 member certified staff roster consists of only 1 African-American, 1 Chinese-American, and 1 Hispanic.
Resources
Grand Blanc High School operates out of two campus buildings that are both over 40 years old. Updating facilities is an ongoing process, but unfortunately the High School has been one of the last updated buildings. The community was supportive of the district when a bond was passed to build two new middle schools ten years ago. However, the district recently failed to pass a technology and transportation bond in November, that has left the district to piecemeal technological updates such as acceptable wifi networks and computer labs.
Current Issues
One of the most important issues facing Grand Blanc High School is closing the achievement gap for its African-American and economically disadvantaged students. The school administration has been researching a similar school district in Shaker Heights, OH (a suburb of Cleveland) that has been successful in closing the gap. Shaker Heights has implemented an African American Scholars program for that last 20 years, and Grand Blanc intends to see if a similar model could be recreated and implemented here.
Setting– Community, District and Building Organization & Characteristics
Grand Blanc High School is a large suburban high school located in Grand Blanc, Michigan. The high school student body, grades 9-12, was 2,710 on the October 2013 count day. The school staff consists of over 150 secondary teachers and another 100 or more support staff members. Because of its size, core subjects have large teaching departments, and there are numerous elective and honors courses offered to students. The school consists of a large main “East Campus” and a smaller “West Campus” that used to be the old middle school. As the district expanded, two brand new East and West Middle schools were built ten years ago. The high school absorbed the nearby old middle school to create the high school West Campus. Almost all students have classes in both buildings and must cross between them. It is about a 1/8th of a mile distance between the buildings: students loathe this in inclement weather.
The community of Grand Blanc is defined as Grand Blanc City and Grand Blanc Township. The combined census figures for the two put the community’s population at 45,748 residents in 2010. The racial/ethnic breakdown is as follows: 82% White, 11% Black, 3% Asian, and 3% Hispanic. The community is located in southeastern Genesee County and is a suburb of Flint. The demographics of Grand Blanc follow a Burgess Land Use Model quite closely. Low socio-economic areas are in the north and west, closer to Flint, while medium and high socio-economic areas emerge as you move southeast away from Flint. The income transition affects resources that are dispersed within the community. Additionally, families from the greater Flint area are migrating to the Grand Blanc community for it’s well-respected schools and service industry business district. Overall, Grand Blanc is socio-economically better off than state averages. 13% of the population is defined as a single-parent household with children, in comparison to the state average of 20.5%. 25.6% of residents earn less than $30,000 annually; in comparison the state average of 36.3%. Grand Blanc educational attainment levels are also higher than state averages. 94.1% of residents have at least a high school diploma and 33.5% have at least a bachelor’s degree, in comparison to 88.4% and 25.3% respectively at the state level. Lastly, 12.9% of the community is age 65 or older, in comparison to the sate average of 14.1%.
Students Served
The demographics of the school district closely match the demographics of the community. The racial/ethnic breakdown of the 2,710 students at the high school is as follows: 1,997/73.6% White, 425/15.7% Black, 76/2.8% Asian/Pacific Islander, 92/3.4% Hispanic, and 111/4.1% Multiracial. Regarding per pupil funding, Grand Blanc currently spends $7,281 educating each child.
Performance Outcomes or Measures
Grand Blanc’s student proficiency results have been changing over the years as low income/racial minorities have moved into the district from Flint seeking better educational opportunities for their children.
- Grand Blanc’s 2012-2013 Michigan Merit Exam Reading Proficiency was as follows: All Students-80%, White Students-85%, Black Students-51%, Asian Students-84%, Hispanic Students-75%, Economically Disadvantaged-69%, Students with Disabilities-34%.
- Grand Blanc’s 2011-2012 MME Math Proficiency was as follows: All Students-71%, White Students-76%, Black Students-42%, Asian Students-84%, Hispanic Students-69%, Economically Disadvantaged-49%, Students with Disabilities-16%.
Staff Members & Characteristics
Grand Blanc's staff is very large, employing over 100 certified teachers and another 100 support staff personnel. Students are offered a variety of classes from the required core subjects to specific elective courses. The certified staff is a varied mix of professionals ranging from new teacher to veteran teacher. Most teachers in the building have attained their masters degree in a short amount of time due to the pay scale incentive to do so. As for support staff members, their roles range from campus security, to maintenance personnel, to food service worker.
One important fact to note is the lack of diversity amongst the certified staff members. While teachers in the building serve a demographic population described above, the almost 100 member certified staff roster consists of only 1 African-American, 1 Chinese-American, and 1 Hispanic.
Resources
Grand Blanc High School operates out of two campus buildings that are both over 40 years old. Updating facilities is an ongoing process, but unfortunately the High School has been one of the last updated buildings. The community was supportive of the district when a bond was passed to build two new middle schools ten years ago. However, the district recently failed to pass a technology and transportation bond in November, that has left the district to piecemeal technological updates such as acceptable wifi networks and computer labs.
Current Issues
One of the most important issues facing Grand Blanc High School is closing the achievement gap for its African-American and economically disadvantaged students. The school administration has been researching a similar school district in Shaker Heights, OH (a suburb of Cleveland) that has been successful in closing the gap. Shaker Heights has implemented an African American Scholars program for that last 20 years, and Grand Blanc intends to see if a similar model could be recreated and implemented here.