Birmingham Public Schools

For the school district in Alabama, see Birmingham City Schools.

Birmingham Public Schools (BPS), formally the Birmingham City School District, is the public school district for Birmingham, Michigan. Beyond Birmingham, the district provides public school services for all areas of the following municipalities: Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms, Franklin and Southfield Township, Michigan; and parts of these municipalities: Bloomfield Hills, Bloomfield Township, Southfield (city), Troy and West Bloomfield Township, Michigan. The current superintendent is Dr. Daniel Nerad.

History

In 1834, the first "district" school in Birmingham opened. This school was housed in John Hamilton's old log house at Hamilton Road and Old Woodward Ave. Rev. Lemuel M. Partridge served as the teacher. In 1855, the brick "Old Red Schoolhouse" was built at Maple and Southfield roads and served as a school until 1869. The Allen House, part of the Birmingham Historical Museum, now stands where the school was. A new school was in 1869 and became the site of Birmingham's first high school. That first high school later became known as Baldwin High School, then in 1951, Birmingham High School, and in 1959, Seaholm High School. The former Baldwin High School later became Birmingham's first middle school and was replaced in 1974 with Derby Middle School

Through the 1930s other districts had their own elementary schools and sent paid tuition students to Baldwin High School in the Birmingham district. Throughout the 1940s, other school districts in the area were encouraged by the state to join Birmingham's school district. Southfield joined in 1943, Bloomfield Village in 1946, Franklin in 1945 and Walnut Lake in 1947.

Schools

Birmingham Public Schools runs eight elementary schools, one 3–8th grade school, two middle schools, two high schools, and one alternative high school. Each elementary school hosts a half day preschool program and the district also runs a preschool program out of Midvale BPS Early Childcare Center.

• Groves High School
• Seaholm High School
• Lincoln Street Alternative school
• Berkshire Middle School
• Derby Middle School
• Birmingham Covington School
• Beverly Elementary School
• Bingham Farms Elementary School
• Pembroke Elementary School
• Pierce Elementary School
• West Maple Elementary School
• Quarton Elementary School
• Greenfield Elementary School
• Harlan Elementary School (New building opened 2007, replacing original 1957 building)

Curriculum

The Birmingham Public Schools Strategic Plan calls for a curriculum which is updated and challenging for all students. Curriculum planning and staff development, incorporating developmentally appropriate practices, occur progressively beginning at the kindergarten level. Students in the district have access to a comprehensive arts program, music education, physical education, health life management classes and world languages.

The experiences and knowledge young children bring to school, combined with their natural curiosity, are the foundations for learning in the primary grades. The BPS program is designed to help develop children's potentials. The emphasis is on learning experiences which help children make connections between existing knowledge and new skills and information. All subject area outcomes are clearly defined, but learning is linked across these subject area boundaries. Classroom experiences are designed to be mutually reinforcing. In this manner, children see the connections between skills learned and their importance in real life.

The district incorporates technology throughout the curriculum beginning in elementary school. All classrooms throughout the district utilize Promethian Boards, a type of interactive whiteboard.

Engage

At Birmingham Covington School, grades 5–8 experience the Engage program. Engage is a program of 21st Century skills including science, engineering tech, education tech, and communications. It is problem/project based and uses cooperative teams with ongoing documentation and reflection.

!gnite

In 2009 the district introduced a unique program called !gnite. This program was developed after the success of the Engage program at Birmingham Covington School.

The !gnite initiative strives to create flexible learning environments through the use of technology.

Character Education

In 2011, the Character Education Partnership awarded three BPS schools the title of National School of Character. Pierce Elementary School, Bingham Farms Elementary School and Pembroke Elementary School joined Birmingham Covington School, Beverly Elementary School and Greenfield Elementary School as National Schools of Character within the district. As of 2011, the district holds the following Character Education awards:

Number	Award
6	National Schools of Character
6	National Schools of Character Finalists
1	National Profiles in Character Winner
2	National Honorable Mention Schools of Character
7	State Schools of Character (2 repeat winners)
40	Promising Practice Awards

Character Education is an integral part of the Birmingham Public Schools community, culture, and curriculum. The district incorporates a program guided by the 11 Principals of Character Education. The principles include the understanding and demonstration of core ethical and performance values in the lives of students, teachers, families, and community members. BPS District traits are Positive Attitude; Honesty and Integrity; Respect & Kindness; and Responsibility & Accountability. Teachers use everyday situations and the core curriculum to expand upon teachable moments for all students. One of the most visible aspects is through district wide, school wide, and classroom community service projects. These core values are imbedded into curriculum, discipline, pedagory, and relationships to create a culture of caring and excellence that is visible in each one of the schools.

External links

• http://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/
• http://bcsonline.info
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120218030520/http://beverly.birmingham.k12.mi.us/?