Two Utica High Schools Named among Best in Michigan by Washington Post

A graduate of Harvard University School of Education with both a master’s in education and a doctorate in educational administration, Dr. Christine Johns has served as superintendent of Utica Community Schools since 2006. As superintendent, Dr. Christine Johns leads Michigan’s second largest school district, which includes two schools recently recognized by the Washington Post.

The Washington Post has recognized Utica Academy for International Studies (UAIS) and Eisenhower High School as among the Most Academically Challenging High Schools in Michigan. Notably, UAIS received the top spot in the state for the fifth consecutive year, and its International Baccalaureate program was ranked 38th in the country. Eisenhower High School earned the 28th spot in Michigan. 

These rankings are significant, given that 2,324 schools in the nation applied for consideration and only 12 percent earned recognition. The Washington Post Challenge Index takes into account the number of students who enroll in challenging academic programs, such as courses approved by the International Baccalaureate Organization and Advanced Placement courses authorized by the College Board. The index divides the number of International Baccalaureate, AP, and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests administered at a school in a given year by the number of graduating seniors that year.

Following news of the award, Dr. Christine Johns stated, “This recognition reflects the district’s focus to increase rigorous opportunities for all students to support their post-secondary success.”

Utica Community Schools' Efforts Drive SAT Preparation Readiness

Dr. Christine Johns is an experienced academic leader who serves as superintendent of Utica Community Schools (UCS) in Michigan. Committed to preparing students for competitive college and career environments, superintendent Dr. Christine Johns has overseen efforts surrounding Michigan’s recent transition from the American College Test (ACT) to the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT).

The shift was set in place by the Michigan Department of Education, which mandated that, starting with the class of 2016, high school juniors must take the SAT. This followed a determination that the SAT aligned better than the ACT with the state’s academic standards.

Starting in 2015, school administrators coordinated with UCS educators to ensure that they engaged with CollegeBoard training materials. By reviewing sample exams of the newly revised SAT, teachers were able to define optimal testing strategies and transmit this to students.

Students are already on track for SAT success, as they take the PSAT in 10th grade to familiarize themselves with the test structure and materials and define skills they must improve to attain admittance into college. Parents were also encouraged to get involved, and more than 500 attended a district-led SAT awareness meeting.                            

AVID at Three UCS Secondary Schools

Dr. Christine Johns serves as superintendent of Utica Community School (UCS). Students within the UCS system have been performing above state and national averages. Three of the secondary schools that Dr. Christine Johns oversees as superintendent offer the Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) program.

AVID was started by Mary Catherine Swanson in 1980. It is now a global nonprofit organization with a guiding principle of having students adhere to the highest standards while providing the necessary academic and social assistance. AVID methodology believes students will rise to the occasion.

Annually, AVID programs provide training to over 30,000 educators, who learn to use proven techniques to prepare students to achieve success in high school, college, and in a chosen career. There is emphasis on traditionally underrepresented students in higher education.

While the AVID College Readiness System is intended for elementary, secondary, and higher education, a school district may implement independently the part that it needs.

Ninety-nine percent of students under the AVID system graduate from high school on time.

The Educator Micro-Credentials Initiative of Digital Promise

Multi-awarded Dr. Christine Johns is the superintendent of Utica Community Schools, which is the second-largest school district in Michigan. Superintendent Dr. Christine Johns, who earned her PhD from Harvard University, is among only 40 invited national educators to take part in Digital Promise.

Digital Promise involves the collaboration of education leaders, learning technology developers, and researchers, in using technology and research to provide better learning opportunities for all Americans. This independent, bipartisan, nonprofit organization has a number of undertakings, including its educator micro-credential initiative.

While educators are learning new skills on a regular basis, it is usually only at the start of their careers that they earn credentials. Hence, Digital Promise is establishing a coalition among educators and partners to create a micro-credential system the will recognize teachers who have mastered certain skills in the course of their career. This will give America’s educational system the capability to regularly identify and disseminate the best practices of the country’s educators and will encourage all teachers to improve their existing skills as well as learn new ones.

Utica Community Schools Rank among Washington Post's Most Challenging

Superintendent of schools for the Utica Community Schools (UCS) district in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Dr. Christine Johns maintains a commitment to implementing new initiatives to foster student success. A recipient of a 2014 Tech-Savvy Superintendent of the Year Award by eSchool News, Dr. Christine Johns also leads her schools in receiving national attention as a forerunner for positive educational changes. For instance, the Washington Post has recognized all four UCS high schools through the America’s Most Challenging High Schools list in multiple years.

The America’s Most Challenging High Schools consists of a listing of the nation’s most academically challenging high school institutions based on the ratio results of an internal index formula. Known as the Challenge Index, the formula examines students’ participation in advanced placement programs and divides the number of tests taken by the number of graduating seniors for each year. Particular program tests the Challenge Index looks for include International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced Placement (AP), and the Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE). In order to rank among the listing, schools must obtain an index ratio of 1.00, which indicates that the number of tests taken that year match the number of graduating seniors.

Organizers for the America’s Most Challenging High Schools list choose not to include student test results as a factor due to the actions undertaken by some schools to boost their test score rates. According to research conducted by organizers, some schools establish artificial test score rates by only allowing top students to participate in IB, AP, and AICE courses. Furthermore, the listing also excludes well-known magnet and charter schools whose concentration of top-preforming students exceeds the highest average for open enrollment schools.

League of Innovative Schools Drives Public Education Reform

Dr. Christine Johns serves as superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Michigan. As superintendent, Dr. Christine Johns has championed new ideas in public education through her participation in Digital Promise.

President Obama launched Digital Promise in 2011, after its authorization by Congress. It was created as a nonprofit, bipartisan organization devoted to developing new educational technologies.

One of its chief components is the League of Innovative Schools, which promotes solutions to challenges facing K-12 schools. It unites the efforts of school leaders using information technologies to benefit student achievement, and tests new ideas for teaching and learning in 73 member districts. These schools educate a total of over 3.2 million students from diverse backgrounds.

Digital Promise also sponsors collaborative activities on topics suggested by league members. Included in these working groups are such subjects as connectivity, funding, evaluation, and communication.

In another Digital Promise initiative, policy thought leaders, superintendents, and teachers convened to share their views and experiences with competency-based education. This concept emphasizes personal growth for students and tailors learning to their individual needs.

Communities That Care Enhance Student Achievement

The superintendent of Utica Community Schools in Michigan, Dr. Christine Johns believes strongly in public involvement in the activities of K-12 education. In a recent blog post, Dr. Christine Johns expressed her beliefs in the importance of civic support for teaching and learning.

The superintendent listed three necessities for a strong community: quality schools, secure neighborhoods, and thriving businesses. The care of the community for its children makes these three goals possible.

School-related endeavors help in a number of ways. Experienced students mentor younger ones, elder citizens help with tutoring, parents confer with teachers, and business leaders encourage career plans.

Students themselves appreciate these examples of voluntary action. Utica pupils were asked to identify supports that help them in their education. Possible choices included their interest in school (engagement), ideas and plans for the future (hope), and their beliefs about upcoming success (well-being).

Respondents gave more positive responses to these factors than the national average for school children. To Dr. Johns, these results indicate optimistic beliefs about their prospects; one source for this hopeful outlook was the knowledge that their community cared for and believed in them.