27-03-2025
KBE names Hopkins County principal as award winner
HENDERSON, Ky. (WEHT) – The Kentucky Board of Education (KBE) presented the 2025 Robinson Award for Diversity and Equity in Public Education to a Hopkins County principal.
Officials say the Browning Springs Middle School principal Michael Griffin won an award at KBE's March 27 meeting. Each year, the KBE gives the Robinson Award to a Kentuckian or a Kentucky organization demonstrating 'extraordinary efforts' and 'contributions in educational diversity and equity.' The criteria for receiving this award includes, but is not limited to:
Successful efforts in closing socioeconomic and/or racial achievement gaps
Significantly improving student learning, student achievement or other measured outcomes among students of color or economically-disadvantaged students.
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'My nine years at Browning Springs have been rewarding, and I am grateful for the exceptional support of my staff,' said Griffin. 'Their dedication has been instrumental in achieving this recognition. I collaborate closely with my school's youth service center coordinator, our district director of community schools and the rest of my administrative team to identify and address any barriers our students and community may face. I am truly appreciative of the commitment shown by my staff to prioritize the diverse needs of our students. At Browning Springs, we treat everyone as family.'
The KDE says according to his nominators, Griffin has a mission to create an environment where all students and families feel supported. He collaborates with the youth service center coordinator to identify and address student needs, providing targeted interventions through the school's multi-tiered system of supports. By analyzing data on at-risk students, Griffin ensures that 'appropriate' academic and behavioral interventions are in place to support success, according to Hopkins County Director of Community Schools Wendy Gamblin, who was one of two people nominating him for the award.
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Officials say Griffin's other nominator, Zachary Evans, Browning Springs Middle School's family resources and youth services center coordinator, said the principal, 'is the true definition of a leader who lives out the values of equity and inclusion.'
KDE says Griffin's leadership at Browning Springs Middle has resulted in 'remarkable growth,' Gamblin wrote. Griffin 'spearheaded' initiatives that elevated the school's overall performance rating from orange to yellow, eliminating its Targeted Support and Improvement designation for students with disabilities and black students. Across the academic areas, student performance has 'significantly improved.' Gamblin said the school advanced two classifications in the Quality of School Climate and Safety survey.
Officials say Griffin led school efforts to address disparities in school discipline, significantly reducing in-school and out-of-school suspensions. Griffin has implemented programs tailored to meet the needs of diverse learners and their families; introduced multicultural events, parent workshops and family engagement nights and removed communication barriers by having all school correspondence translated into the language spoken by students and their families, Gamblin said in her nomination.
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