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Hope Academy principal highlights student leadership, early testing gains
Summary
Hope Academy Principal Tasia Burks told the Decatur SD 61 board that the school’s principal-advisory committee gives students leadership roles, mentorship duties and input on school events; she reported gains on interim reading assessments and said community partners support student development.
Tasia Burks, principal at Hope Academy, described a student-led principal advisory program and shared early academic gains at the April 14 Decatur SD 61 Board of Education meeting.
Burks said the advisory committee is chosen through an interview process and gives students leadership responsibilities such as mentoring younger pupils, serving on discipline and interview teams, making morning announcements and offering event feedback. "Excellence is expected," she said, calling the committee the "heart of Hope." Several students introduced themselves and described their post‑high‑school goals: "I want to go to college," one student told the board.
The presentation included community partnerships and extracurricular projects. Burks noted a recent health fair organized with DMH and a visitor from the Northeast Community Fund; students also serve as tour guides and mentor peers. She outlined “passion projects” students pursue, such as reading to younger classes.
On assessments, Burks reported measurable improvements on district interim tests: one middle‑school cohort increased from 10 students at the 30th percentile on an early reading screen to 18 by the winter administration, and grades 5–8 rose from 45 to 56 students at or above the 30th percentile. Students on or above grade level rose from 24 to 27. Burks provided a tracking document of year‑to‑year academic results and said copies would be shared with board members.
Why it matters: The principal advisory program places students in decisionmaking and mentoring roles and links classroom work with community partners, the administration said. Board members and administrators framed the gains as early evidence that schoolwide practices and partnerships are supporting improved outcomes; they encouraged continued monitoring through spring assessments.
Board response and next steps: Board members applauded the student presenters and had no formal action on the item. Burks said she will provide the board with the districtwide tracking document used in her presentation and invited members to visit Hope Academy for a student‑led tour.
