• Category 3

    Selected in 2025

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 137,700
    Student Enrollment: 363
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 10%
    White/Caucasian: 67%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 22%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:11
    % Reduced Lunch: 100%
    % ELL Learners: 46%
    Founded: 2017
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Mona Hamawi
  • CONTACT:
    28111 Imperial Dr.
    Warren, MI 48093
    586-354-2044
    hamawim@gee-edu.com
Frontier International Academy - Warren
Warren, MI
1. What key actions or strategies have been most instrumental to your school’s success?
At Frontier International Academy–Warren, instructional coherence, responsiveness, and inclusivity guide daily practice. The school implements Benchmark Advance for ELA and Bridges Mathematics, supported by LETRS-informed literacy practices and Heggerty phonemic awareness in the early grades. Teachers use multiple assessments, including NWEA MAP data, Benchmark unit assessments, and formative checks, to inform instruction and monitor progress.

To support multilingual learners, teachers apply SIOP strategies within an integrated co-teaching model, using clear language and content objectives, structured academic discourse, and explicit vocabulary instruction. Ongoing collaboration among teachers, coaches, and administrators ensures data-informed planning, targeted supports, and sustained student growth.
2. What significant challenges did your school face during your improvement efforts, and how did you address them?
Our most significant challenge has been rebuilding foundational literacy and numeracy skills among early-grade students, many of whom entered school with large learning gaps and limited English proficiency. To address this, Frontier adopted a more intentional assessment and intervention framework. Teachers analyze NWEA and Benchmark data to identify precise areas of need and then deliver targeted small-group lessons that combine direct skill instruction with rich language development.

Instructional coaches support teachers through a student-centered approach to coaching, where the focus remains on measurable student outcomes rather than teacher compliance. Coaches and teachers co-plan lessons, analyze real student work, and adjust instructional strategies based on evidence gathered from classrooms. This partnership model has strengthened teacher capacity, created shared accountability for learning, and led to consistent growth in reading and math performance across grade levels.
3. How did professional development contribute to your school’s improvement efforts?
Professional development at Frontier is purposeful, continuous, and embedded into daily practice. Weekly collaboration time is structured around student data analysis, instructional refinement, and peer learning. Training is focused on the effective implementation of Benchmark Advance, Bridges Math, SIOP strategies, and literacy instruction through LETRS.

Through coaching cycles and learning communities, teachers reflect on their practice, set goals tied to student evidence, and co-develop lessons that balance content rigor with language development. Professional learning is never a one-time event—it’s an evolving process aligned with Frontier’s commitment to improving outcomes for every child. This ongoing investment in teacher growth has produced measurable results in student achievement, teacher confidence, and instructional consistency.
4. In what ways did family and/or community partnerships support your school’s success?
Frontier’s strength lies in its deep partnerships with families and the surrounding community. Families represent diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and communication is intentionally multilingual and culturally responsive. Parents are active participants in family literacy nights, math workshops, and goal-setting conferences that help them understand student progress and instructional priorities.

The school also partners with local organizations, religious institutions, and social service agencies to provide tutoring, mentoring, and wellness support for students and families. These partnerships not only build trust but also ensure that families are empowered to reinforce learning at home. The result is a strong sense of belonging and shared ownership in every child’s success.
5. How has ESEA funding (e.g., Title I, II, III) been strategically used to support student achievement?
Title funds are used intentionally to strengthen Frontier’s instructional systems and ensure equitable access to high-quality learning experiences. Title I funds support interventionists and paraprofessionals who provide targeted instruction based on assessment data. Title II funds sustain coaching and professional learning cycles focused on improving classroom practice through SIOP integration, data-driven lesson design, and collaborative analysis. Title III funds enhance multilingual learner supports, including bilingual staffing, instructional materials, and family engagement programming.

Each funding stream is aligned with specific improvement goals and monitored for measurable impact. This strategic alignment ensures that resources directly support student achievement and the continuous improvement of teaching and learning at Frontier.
6. What advice would you give to a school just beginning its improvement journey?
Start by creating clarity—focus on a few priorities that truly move student learning forward, and ensure every staff member understands how their work connects to those priorities. Build a culture of collaboration where teachers regularly analyze student evidence and adjust instruction accordingly. Coaching should be seen as a partnership for student success, not as evaluation.

Integrate language and content instruction for all learners, using frameworks such as SIOP to make learning visible, structured, and equitable. Involve families as partners early and often, celebrate growth at every level, and stay consistent. At Frontier, sustained progress has come from three commitments: data-driven decision making, continuous professional learning, and a culture of belief that every student can grow. These are the foundations of lasting school improvement.
Stats
  • Category 3

    Selected in 2025

  • Grades: k - 5
    School Setting: urban
    Town Population: 137,700
    Student Enrollment: 363
    Student Demographics:

    Black/African American: 10%
    White/Caucasian: 67%
    Hispanic: 1%
    Hawaiian/Pacific Islander: 0%
    Asian: 22%
    Native American: 0%
    Other: 0%

    Teacher/Student Ratio: 1:11
    % Reduced Lunch: 100%
    % ELL Learners: 46%
    Founded: 2017
  • PRINCIPAL:
    Mona Hamawi
  • CONTACT:
    28111 Imperial Dr.
    Warren, MI 48093
    586-354-2044
    hamawim@gee-edu.com