Homewood-Flossmoor HS News

Homewood-Flossmoor Community High School is the newest member of the MSAN Network, a national coalition of multiracial school districts that share a history of high academic achievement and connections to major research universities. MSAN districts come together to understand and eliminate racial opportunity gaps that persist in schools.

“Homewood-Flossmoor High School is proud to join this accomplished network of school districts throughout the United States,” said Superintendent Dr. Scott Wakeley. “This partnership allows us to work collaboratively with districts that look like ours with diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds as we strive for excellence for all students.”

“We are making this announcement as we kick off Black History Month to show the importance of celebrating Black excellence today and every day of the year,” Wakeley said. “Our membership in the MSAN Network is a major step in our commitment to developing the core competency of Diversity and Inclusion, the true north in our Profile of a Viking,” Wakeley said.

The Profile of a Viking, developed in collaboration with the school, Board of Education and community, reflects the core competencies that Homewood-Flossmoor High School strives for each student to have upon graduation. These are the skills we believe are critical in addition to the academic knowledge students gain through their coursework. Homewood-Flossmoor High School administrators, teachers, staff, coaches and sponsors are intentional in the way these skills are developed through daily interactions with students. The competencies are:

• Diversity & Inclusion

• Innovation & Problem-Solving

• Reflection & Resilience

• Communication & Collaboration

• Citizenship & Character

“We are now part of a larger educational community that shares best practices and supports each other as we strive to continually improve the quality of education and experiences for all of our students,” Wakeley said.

There are 28 MSAN network school districts that are keenly focused on raising achievement for students of diverse racial, ethnic, and linguistic backgrounds. Homewood-Floosmoor High School is the fourth Illinois high school district to join MSAN including Evanston Township High School District 202, Niles Township High School District 219 and Oak Park River Forest High School District 200. Member districts across the country also include Amherst-Pelham (Massachusetts) Regional Schools, Ann Arbor (Michigan) Public Schools, Chapel Hill-Carrboro (North Carolina) City Schools, Princeton (New Jersey) Public Schools, and Shaker Heights (Ohio) City School District, among others.

MSAN districts work collaboratively to conduct and publish research, analyze policies, share promising practices and lift up student voices in pursuit of the network’s mission.

Homewood-Flossmoor High School administrators recently attended their first MSAN meeting in Evanston, Ill. providing the school district with access to resources and professional development to raise achievement.

“As an administrator, participating with MSAN opens doors to one of the greatest resources anyone could ever expect to have,” said Homewood-Flossmoor High School Associate Principal Shannon Swilley. “That resource is knowledgeable, experienced practitioners who are willing to share details about their failures and blueprints for their success as it relates to educational equity in their communities.”

The MSAN Network conducts collaborative research that informs school practices, engages in and evaluates evidence-based instructional interventions, and provides learning opportunities for teachers. Four focus areas comprise MSAN's research and development agenda:

• Mathematics

• Literacy, with an emphasis on adolescent literacy

• Student-teacher relationships

• Conversations about race and achievement

Homewood-Flossmoor High School administrators, teachers and students look forward to interacting with and learning from MSAN school districts through the MSAN Institute and MSAN Intersectional Social Justice Collaborative for Middle School and High School Students.

MSAN is housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research at the School of Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Learn more about MSAN at: http://msan.wceruw.org/.

Homewood-Flossmoor High School is a comprehensive community high school located in the South Suburbs of Chicago. The district serves the villages of Homewood and Flossmoor, and portions of Chicago Heights, Glenwood, Hazel Crest and Olympia Fields. A tradition of excellence is the cornerstone of H-F – the result of commitment on the part of district residents to the idea of a community high school with high standards for students and staff, and a solid goal of excellence in education.