ADRIAN — At the core of several educational initiatives in place at Adrian Public Schools is making sure when students graduate from the district, they take away more than simply a diploma or a piece of paper.

It is the hope of Adrian’s district leadership that students graduating from APS are ready to enter the workforce or the skilled trades without hesitation. Districts officials also want to prepare students for whatever post-secondary studies await them.

These initiatives of preparing students for life after Adrian Public Schools are part of ASPIRE, headed by Superintendent Nate Parker.

The plan, which stands for Adrian Schools Project Inspire, Resiliency and Excellence, was debuted by Parker toward the end of the 2021-22 school year and was implemented during the 2022-23 school year. It is one of several initiatives introduced by Parker that focus on ensuring Adrian Public Schools has facilities and classrooms where students can learn, and teachers can teach.

ASPIRE is what Parker describes as the long-term vision and the long-term plan for APS.

From May 2023: Adrian schools superintendent reviews progress of ASPIRE initiative

Included within ASPIRE are other district initiatives including Portrait of a Graduate, Maple Pride, Diploma Plus and individual student success plans.

“All these other initiatives we are talking about come from that (ASPIRE) vision,” Parker said, during the Adrian Board of Education’s June 10 regular meeting.

Adrian seeks to be the leading school district in Lenawee County in the arts, academics and athletics. Having resilient and excellent students are key components of the plan, Parker said.

When Adrian kicks off its 2024-25 school year, Parker said he is hoping to have a more concrete method of explaining what each educational initiative within ASPIRE is and how it benefits/impacts students.

“One of my goals this summer is to not relaunch but refocus these initiatives. There is a lot going on,” he explained to the board of education. “…They all work together, in my head anyway.”

A lot of work has gone into the creation of these initiatives over the last two years, including efforts from different school teams and groups, Parker acknowledged. Many of the superintendent goals for Parker that have been set by the board of education are being carried out through the success of these student growth initiatives.

Action plans and steps are included in the initiatives to make sure each student at Adrian Public Schools is gaining the knowledge they need to graduate and be prepared for what comes after graduation.

The playbill, for example, is a component of ASPIRE. It was redeveloped a couple of years ago to detail what the performing arts department wants to accomplish for its students. Another such example is the athletic department’s game plan, which also has been reworked within the last handful of years.

Each component of ASPIRE, Parker said, plays a role in shaping a student’s success in school.

“Our work as educators is never going to be finished,” he said. “…We’re always working to do things differently, and I’m excited about the things that we do have in place that I think are really going to ignite a lot of kids and get them excited about learning, and to the finish line.”

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Parker previously explained the goal of ASPIRE is to see students as early as kindergarten understand the importance of education and “aspire” throughout their educational journey to receive their diploma because they “understand the importance of what it means.”

The district needs to be “deliberate” and “intentional” about providing pathways and opportunities so its students can understand what best fits them for life after high school.

Board approves superintendent merit pay

For completing a handful of established goals during the 2023-24 school year, Parker secured merit pay of $7,400 as approved by the school board at the June 10 meeting.

Based on a review of evidence presented by Parker, five goals were achieved, the board said, and thus Parker was awarded the pay associated with each goal.

The board established these five goals for Parker to achieve during the 2023-24 school year:

• First draft of the district’s Lesson Plan, $2,000.

• Create a process for the district’s long-term facilities plan, $800.

• Review anti-bullying initiatives and update the approach to include parental awareness, $800.

• Seek out and offer informational opportunities on cultural awareness topics, $800.

• Increase school of choice students over the previous year, $3,000.

The awarding of the merit pay comes after Parker was rated by the board as “Highly Effective” during his annual superintendent’s evaluation in May. Parker’s mark of “Highly Effective” is a strong endorsement, the district said, of his leadership. Board members praised his accomplishments and contributions.

More: Adrian Public Schools Superintendent Nate Parker earns ‘Highly Effective’ rating on evaluation

School board Vice President Jon Baucher, speaking at the June 10 meeting, said Parker didn’t accomplish his goals in the last month of the school year in an attempt to complete them. Instead, he provided the board with a detailed summarization and documentation of the goals being addressed.

“We saw progress on these goals throughout the year, and he reported that progress throughout the year,” Baucher said.

In his latest evaluation, Parker received high marks from the board in governance and board relations, community relations, staff relations, business/finance instructional leadership, progress toward district goals and student growth.

— Contact reporter Brad Heineman at bheineman@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: twitter.com/LenaweeHeineman.

This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Adrian Public Schools reviewing ASPIRE initiative ahead of school year