Former Baldwin Elementary School principal Bruce Mangum is promoting student success in new role as the district's assistant superintendent of instructional services.
Courtesy of Baldwin Community SchoolsBALDWIN — Bruce Mangum knows each of the students at Baldwin Elementary School by name. It’s not unusual to see him give kids high fives and fist bumps as he walks the halls.
When Mangum was promoted from elementary principal to Baldwin Community Schools assistant superintendent of instructional services in March, he kept his office in the elementary building to keep that connection with students.
For Mangum, his job is all about the kids, and seeing them grow and achieve each day is what drives him. But he’s also willing to have a little fun, like when he let the kids duct-tape him to the gymnasium wall as reward for meeting their reading goals.
“I don’t have to work with kids, I get to work with kids every day and that’s a privilege I cherish. I’m passionate about making sure we’re putting programming in place to help our students achieve and be the best they can be,” Mangum said. “That’s what drives me. Just seeing these kids grow is amazing.”
Mangum’s role is a new position created by Superintendent David Forrester when he took over as permanent superintendent in March. Mangum is working to align the district’s curriculum with the needs and interests of students so they’re best prepared for success after school, whether that’s college, careers or military service.
Mangum hit the ground running, holding focus groups with parents and students to get a better understanding of what they want and need as far as academic programming goes, and he’s developing curricular resources for teachers to help them see the big picture of where students come from in prior grades and what they’re building toward.
Mangum also is restructuring academic interventions for kindergarten through eighth grade. The elementary school now has a redesigned intervention room where staff lead students in small groups and individual support to develop reading skills. The middle school also now has an intervention room where math and reading interventionists work to supplement classroom learning for those who need additional support.
Mangum started his career in marketing and has a bachelor’s degree in communications, advertising and film from Grand Valley State University. He found he enjoyed working with kids through volunteering with his church youth group and went back to GVSU for his teaching degree.
He has worked in several educational roles since 2005, including serving as an interventionist for the Mecosta-Osceola ISD, school improvement coordinator for West Shore ESD, among other roles. He then earned his administrator certification through Michigan State University and worked on Michigan’s statewide field team providing districts additional academic support before joining Baldwin as elementary school principal in 2020.
“Bruce is an integral part of our Baldwin school community and he is doing a great job expanding our curriculum and academic supports to set up our students for success,” Forrester said. “The role of assistant superintendent of instructional services was created to focus on student data as well as systems and supports, and Bruce’s expertise aligns well with this role.”
