Together for Tomorrow Supports School Improvement

Deborah Wahlstrom is an educational consultant and the founder of Successline, Inc., a company that supports school improvement. From 2012 to 2015, Deborah Wahlstrom served as the superindendent of Mount Clemens Community Schools. While she was superindendent, Mount Clemens was recognized in the Together for Tomorrow Challenge.

The Together for Tomorrow initiative is a collaboration between the US Department of Education, the Corporation for National and Community Service, and the White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships. It is intended to recognize and support community-led projects and programs that help support struggling schools.

Together for Tomorrow celebrates and encourages family and community engagement with students and schools in part by measuring the ABCs of student outcomes: Attendance, Behavior, and College access. Some of the initiatives the program has supported nationwide include after-school tutoring from community members, school improvement grants, and partnerships with local organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs that can provide mentors to students in need.

The Together for Tomorrow Challenge

The superintendent of Mount Clemens Community School District in Michigan, Deborah Wahlstrom focuses on improving school performance via data analysis and targeted assistance for failing schools. In 2012, Superintendent Deborah Wahlstrom accepted the Together for Tomorrow Challenge award on behalf of Mount Clemens Community Schools.

A federal program initiated by the U.S. Department of Education, the Together for Tomorrow School Improvement Challenge brought together schools, community organizations, universities, and national service programs to improve low-performing schools. The challenge encouraged participants to build schools’ capacities for teamwork and incorporate support from a variety of public and private sources. In addition to building a culture of success in education, participants attempted to boost key measurable student outcomes, such as attendance, behavior, and course performance.

To enter the Together for Tomorrow Challenge, applicants were asked to fill out a questionnaire, describe how they strengthened their schools’ capacity, and explain how their initiatives addressed student needs. In October 2012, the Together for Tomorrow Challenge named 31 winners from across the United States.