TalentFirst has announced the 2025 winners of its Literacy Leader Awards: six West Michigan elementary schools whose excellence in reading instruction and accomplishment will be celebrated at ceremonies throughout March as part of National Reading Month.
These schools serve as outstanding examples at a time when National Assessment of Educational Progress results place Michigan near the bottom nationally for fourth-grade reading proficiency, said Kevin Stotts, president of TalentFirst.
“Michigan’s unacceptable, decade-long decline in early literacy is devastating to all of us, most of all to a generation of children,” Stotts said. “As we work with our partners to make West Michigan a leader in reading ability, these schools show how to succeed in this critical work.”
TalentFirst recently announced an agreement among business, teaching college and K-12 leaders to increase West Michigan’s third-grade English Language Arts proficiency by 5% annually over the next three years. The agreement includes continuation of the Literacy Leader Awards launched by TalentFirst.
The 2025 winning schools, districts and dates of ceremonies are:
- Shettler Elementary, Fruitport Community Schools (March 4)
- Central Elementary, Grandville Public Schools (March 5)
- Cross Creek Charter Academy, National Heritage Academies (March 14)
- Glenwood Elementary, Kentwood Public Schools (March 18)
- Walnut Hills Elementary, Greenville Public Schools (March 20)
- Vanderbilt Charter Academy, National Heritage Academies (March 21)
Each school will be presented with a check for $1,000. The award program is sponsored by TalentFirst CEO Council members Leslie Brown, chairman of Metal Flow; Mike Jandernoa, founder of 42 North Partners; Brad Hilleary, CEO of Webb Chemical Service Group; Park Kersman, president of Lorin Industries; Rick Keyes, CEO of Meijer; Michael Sytsma, West Michigan Market president for KeyBank; and John Wilson, chair and founder of the Pennies From Heaven Foundation.
TalentFirst developed the Literacy Leader Awards program following its publication in 2023 of a dashboard tracking third-grade reading scores on the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP), cross-referenced to economic status, for nearly every elementary school in the state. In 2024, more than 60% of Michigan third-graders were unable to read at grade level.
To highlight schools that show improvements and implement evidence-based instructional strategies, TalentFirst worked with a trained literacy coach and field instructor to set the following criteria for Literacy Leader Award recognition:
- Higher M-STEP scores and/or growth and outperforming peers with similar economic status
- Implementation of the General Education Leadership Network’s Literacy Essentials
- Ongoing professional learning on proven practices aligned with the science of reading
- The appointment of dedicated literacy coaches in each building
- Provision of appropriate curricula and resources with systematic phonics instruction
- The use of formative assessments to influence instruction
- Development of detailed school improvement plans with a focus on early literacy outcomes and district alignment among buildings on literacy strategies
One of the most encouraging aspects of the evaluation process, Stotts said, was hearing how the award-winning schools approached literacy instruction.
“We learned in interviews that they had evaluated their curriculum and practices to ensure alignment with the science of reading,” he said. “And if it was not aligned, they made changes, then provided professional development to support the changes. This takes a lot of effort — but it shows results.”
As efforts continue to make West Michigan a leader in early literacy, the award-winning schools prove that success is possible, Stotts said. That’s important because reading is foundational to lifelong success in education, employment and overall wellbeing.
“Literacy is the cornerstone to a vibrant and prosperous community. Our future depends on making sure our kids can read,” Stotts said. “These schools — the students, the teachers, coaches, parents and leadership — deserve to be celebrated. We all can learn something from them.”
