Supporting Battle Creek Students and Teachers

GVSU’s College of Education and Community Innovation has a long-standing partnership with Battle Creek Public Schools. Since 2019, through teacher preparation programs and community partnerships made possible by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, we are helping new teachers thrive in the district and BCPS graduates succeed in college.

Battle Creek Scholars

Fall 2025 Bearcat Scholar Students and Staff

Since 2020, 76 graduates from Battle Creek Central High School have received scholarships to attend GVSU via the Pipeline and Bearcat Advantage programs.

As part of the Battle Creek Scholars program, they receive individualized personal, academic, and career support from BC Scholar advisors, participate in a variety of programming, and enjoy an on-campus Battle Creek community.

Early Career Teacher Mentoring

Devan Washington and students in his BCPS classroom

The first years of teaching are often filled with challenges, and most early career teachers (ECTs) face those challenges in relative isolation. The primary purpose of the Early Career Teacher Mentoring Program is to provide personalized, non-evaluative support to first year ECTs in Battle Creek Public Schools.

Within the Mentoring Program, teachers are matched with an experienced mentor who provides a range of services and supports designed to meet the individualized needs of each teacher. The mentoring is approached as a collaborative effort, with frequent and transparent communication throughout the academic year for personalized support.

Teacher Internships

GVSU intern Yasmin Alemayehu in her Valley View Elementary classroom

GVSU teacher candidates have the unique opportunity to participate in an urban school district's transformation by completing their teacher internships in Battle Creek Public Schools through the Winter 2026 semester. As part of the GVSU Battle Creek teaching community, they are mentored by both BCPS teachers and GVSU faculty.

Since 2020, 84 GVSU students have been placed throughout the district's 11 schools. Today, former teacher interns who are now BCPS teachers enjoy participating in other aspects of our partnership, such as early career teacher mentoring and professional learning communities, as well as providing GVSU experiential learning opportunities for their students.