Beth Baker elected Crain’s 2019 Notable Woman in Education Leadership

Beth Baker, Co-CEO and Co-Founder of the WAY Program and Centric Learning, was elected Crain’s 2019 Notable Woman in Education Leadership. The nominees were selected by a team of Crain’s Detroit Business editors based on their career accomplishments, track record of success in the field, contributions to their community and mentorship of others.

Crain’s Detroit Business explained their choice:

Beth Baker… taps into the knowledge of great teachers by using proven, evidence-based best practices and data to advance learning for children.

Before co-creating Centric Learning Systems, Baker established Widening Advancements for Youth (WAY), a nonprofit that manages public school academies for local school districts. She also provided leadership and technical assistance for 34 school districts and 350,000 students as a consultant for the Wayne County Regional Education Service Agency (RESA).

“I have known Beth in her role with Wayne RESA … and in her role of creating a private education organization that now spans three continents. Her passion for doing right by children and helping to create pathways to success have remained the common denominator in all she does,” said Tom Watkins, former Michigan state superintendent of schools.

When developing Centric Learning, she and her partners researched ways they might narrow the education gap. They came up with a project-based learning curriculum based on inquiry or research into solving problems, understanding issues and exploring new topics with core subjects such as math and language skills being tools they learned along the way. 

Visit Crain’s Detroit Business website to know more, or read the full award text below: