Meet Pamela Askew of Sterling Heights

Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Askew. They and their team shared their story with us below:

PAMELA ASKEW, a retired principal, spent 35 years educating the children of Detroit and Eastpointe while motivating and inspiring teachers. She taught English, Social Studies, and Ballet. Pamela quickly rose to the ranks of administrator, leading the following departments: English, Social Studies, and Special Education. She became a principal in 2006 and was the principal of a middle school, an elementary school, and the only tuition-free PK-12th grade all-girl public school international academy in Michigan. In her role as principal, Pamela turned around four schools for Detroit Public Schools. 

PAMELA ASKEW is a graduate of Marygrove College, earning a master’s degree in education. She received National Certification as a Principal’s Coach and Mentor in 2014. In 2020, she received national certification with the Center for Teacher Effectiveness as a trainer. Pamela also studied the leadership practices of top leaders of Fortune Five Hundred companies at the National Principal’s Leadership Institute in New York. She published 12 books and has conducted webinars on how to turn around struggling schools. Pamela writes both non-fiction and fiction, with her latest release putting a spotlight on childhood trauma and its effect on learning. Pamela is the CEO and Founder of Education Impact Services LLC. 

Pamela spends her spare time with her family, attends weekly yoga classes, and loves to travel. 

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’m the product of a single-parent household and lived in the same conditions many of the students I educated live in today. I experienced childhood trauma that could have derailed me but instead made me grow up to become an advocate for children. I experienced overt racism when my college professor could not believe that “I” could not have written an essay of such high quality and forced me to rewrite the essay on a different topic in the academic dean’s office under supervision. To their amazement, the second essay was far more superior than the first one. I continue to fight to this day for impoverished children to receive a quality public school education. 

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I selected “other” because it best fits how I move in the space. I am the CEO and Founder of Education Impact Services LLC. I provide customized professional development for educators and school leaders. 

I specialize in: Literacy, Curriculum Design and Development, Data Analysis and Interpretation, Goal Setting, Progress Monitoring, Capacity Building, Leadership Growth and Development, School Turnaround Expert, K-12 Urban Education, Diversity and Inclusion, Single Gender Education, Staff Retention, Teacher Burnout, Student Burnout, and Equity in Education. As a published author of 12 books, an added service for author development, self-publishing, and writers’ workshop is also available. 

I am most proud of two things: 1) my ability to significantly raise student achievement for the same students others have deemed unteachable, and 2) I actually returned to the classroom after Covid to determine the effects Covid had on students’ learning. What I discovered is that students could still thrive with quality instruction (proven by back-to-back increased standardized test scores), and using Covid as an excuse for poor student learning outcomes must stop. 

What sets me apart from others is I use a business analytic mindset adopted by the top eight U.S. companies that deliver exceptional service, Education Impact Services LLC. Personalizes professional development tailored to the specific needs, abilities, and expectations of the educators or school leaders rather than forcing them to comply to an established service model. 

This proven model has helped educators and school leaders to increase student achievement by transforming schools to quality learning environments for students and adults. 

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Most people are not aware that I returned to the classroom so that I could experience exactly what today’s educators experience. I believe that I could tell educators I understand what they are going through unless I walked in their shoes. 

Contact Info:

• Website: https://educationimpactservices.com
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/pamela-a-7b9516144