When it comes to beating the odds, two area schools are doing it better than most, according to the Michigan Department of Education.
Buchanan High School and Eagle Lake Elementary in Edwardsburg were two of 123 schools named to the department of education’s list of “Beating the Odds” schools for 2010-11.
A beating the odds school is defined as one that is outperforming schools with similar risk factors and demographics.
“The staff here is working extremely hard and focusing on the needs of all students,” said James Hendress, Eagle Lake principal.
“It has been a journey if you will. We’ve always worked really hard for the kids, but we’ve tried several initiatives and put them all together as a package the last three years. I think this tells us that we are heading in the right direction. We haven’t arrived, but we are heading the right way.”
This is the first time Eagle Lake has been named to the list, which was created using data taken from the 2010-11 school year.
In considering the schools, the MDE looked at school-wide improvement rates, achievement gaps and achievement levels.
“We were always working hard for the students, but now I feel like we are working smarter,” said Buchanan High School Principal Sharon Steinke.
“This is very confirming to our teachers that we are on track with some of the things we’ve been doing. We have terrific teachers here in Buchanan.”
This is Buchanan High School’s first time being named to the list.
This is the second year the department of education has created a list of schools that are “Beating the Odds.”