2020 MI Charter Administrator of the Year: Jeremy Brown

Jeremy Brown

Superintendent, Woodland Park Academy

Woodland Park Academy, a K-8 charter school in Grand Blanc, serves students from the immediate surrounding area, Flint and greater Genesee County. Growing up, he was a frequent flyer in the Principal's office, and struggled in the classroom. But thanks to a special educator who showed him compassion and understanding, Jeremy realized his path to help redefine school for students like him. Beginning as a teacher and eventual Dean of Students at Holly Academy, he built his educational philosophy around forging relationships that last, investing in kids' hearts to ultimately impact their minds. Having led Woodland since 2012, Jeremy has built a team of dedicated and passionate educators, who deliver on amazing results for kids and families - and who have committed to constant improvement by implementing Professional Learning Communities,  where they coach one another on supporting the evolving needs of students. 
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Why are you proud to be a charter school educator?

I’m proud to be a charter school leader because of the responsiveness and ability that it provides our institution to meet the needs of kids. I know that our structure provides us the flexibility to adapt and move towards solutions, so there’s a lot of times we have challenges presented - and I’ll say to whoever’s in the room - we’re built for this. We have the resources, we have professional knowledge as educators to be able to spin this challenge in a way that makes it a strength for us, and makes it something that helps kids grow.

How has your team adapted to distance learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic?

My staff NEVER backs down from a challenge. They are always ready to roll their sleeves up, find resources, and build a meaningful solution. Last fall, we noticed many of our families weren't taking advantage of the online tools we used to track things like grades and attendance - and we said "how can we change that?" The answer was to invest in a more usable app, that we built and rolled out for our families - and now in this situation, it is an unmatched communication tool.

More about Jeremy:

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Check out this collection of photos, submitted by Jeremy, and get a peek into his life as an Admin! 

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Hear from Woodland Park Academy Assistant Principal, Amanda Martin, and Holly Academy teacher (and former colleague) Jen Melero, why Jeremy is deserving of the 2020 AOY Award!

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