April, 2009

Michigan should award licenses, not certificates, based on ability to teach
Deborah Loewenberg Ball

Michigan is considering making teachers' professional skill the basis for licensure. This would be a big step.

Nowhere in this country do we award teaching licenses based on an individual's ability to teach ---- for example, to communicate content clearly to students, hold students to high standards, support them explicitly in how to do complex work, establish a productive classroom climate, interpret and evaluate students' work and build effective relationships with families.

Instead we certify people to teach children if they complete an approved program. In some schools, we forgo licensure and allow people to teach who have no demonstrated professional capability.

Transmission (Spread) of Influenza:
Influenza viruses are spread when a person who has influenza coughs, sneezes, or speaks, releasing viruses into the air and other people inhale the viruses. When these viruses enter the nose, throat, or lungs of a person, they begin to multiply, causing disease. The viruses can also be spread when a person touches a surface with flu viruses on it (for example, a door handle) and then touches his or her nose or mouth.

A person who has the flu can spread viruses - that means they are contagious. Adults may be contagious from 1 day before feeling sick to up to 7 days after getting sick. Children can be contagious for longer than 7 days.

Preventing Influenza:

April 29, 09 - From the Alabama High School site:

AHSAA Shuts Down Events Immediately!

Steve Savarese, Executive Director of the Alabama High School Athletic Association, said Wednesday night that all AHSAA athletic events would be shut down immediately due to probable cases of swine flu that have shut down three school systems in the Huntsville area.

“Right now, we are being advised by our Medical Advisory Committee to shut down all activities until further notice,” Savarese said. “We hope to be able to resume activities by next Tuesday, but right now we must study the situation and take it one day at a time.”

Failing Schools Legislation

Discussions are ongoing on a package of legislation that will address chronically underperforming schools. As these bills are a work in progress, details aren't readily available. The current version of House Bill (HB) 4787 includes the creation of a state Reform and Redesign Officer (RRO) to work on reforming "failing schools." There are many components to this legislation and MASB continues to work with legislative leaders on crafting this bill into something that has real potential in creating a positive learning environment for the children in these schools. Again, stay tuned for further details or see the April 20 issue of Headlines.

The state budget for fiscal year 2009 (the current budget) has an estimated $1.3 billion shortfall. Leaders from the House, the Senate and the governor's office are working on a resolution for that deficit. The governor is expected to release an Executive Order (EO) at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, May 5 reducing general fund spending to address some of the deficit.

Any shortfalls in the School Aid budget will assumedly be made up by American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) dollars. This creates awareness that whatever money coming from the ARRA will be spread extremely thin. As more details are made available, we'll send them your way.

[From MASB "News from the Capitol"]

"Learning Around the Clock: Benefits of Expanded Learning Opportunities for Older Youth" identifies and describes Expanded Learning Opportunities (ELOs) that improve academic performance, college and career preparation, social and emotional development, and health and wellness outcomes for underserved youth. The term “expanded learning opportunity” is used to describe the range of programs and activities available to young people that occur beyond regular school hours. ELOs include traditional afterschool activities with an academic focus, but also incorporate activities such as internships with employers, independent study in alternative settings, classes on college campuses for high school students, and wraparound support services.

Contending he has had no voiced objections from either House leaders or officials within the Granholm Administration, House Education Committee Chair Tim Melton (D-Auburn Hills) said this week he would schedule hearings on his proposals that would allow the state to take control of failing schools. Under the provisions of House Bills 4787, 4788, and 4789, if a school fails to meet adequate yearly progress for four years and students are, based on test results, ranked at or below 35 percent proficiency in math and English, steps would have to be taken to improve the school’s performance. If the involved district cannot achieve the needed changes internally, then the state or an outside organization authorized by the state could assume the school’s operations.

We're looking for examples of Michigan schools that have sustained success with their Latino populations.

Please, let us know who your are?

Jim Ballard

Sponsored by:and

Providing a College Education that Michigan families can afford

Some interesting facts:
As reported in the Detroit Free Press:
• Michigan’s 15 public universities increased tuition and fees more than those in any other state in 2006.
• Michigan’s public universities increased tuition and fees 37% between 2003 and 2006.
As reported in the New York Times:
• The rising cost of college-even before the recession-threatens to put higher education out of reach for most Americans.
• Net college costs of a four year public university to a median income family was 28 percent, families in the lowest 20 percent of median income paid 55 percent of their median income to educate their children. These total percentages are reflected after financial aid is applied

When I was offered to see the world’s top math schools in action – I jumped at the chance. I did, however, have to travel a little ways to do so. In the United States, only 6% of 8th-grade students reached the advanced benchmark for international mathematics standards compared to 45% for Taiwan. Taiwanese high school students earn the top spot globally, and their government offered to fly a few of us from Michigan over to share ideas. The venture was called the 2009 American Educators Project and was fully funded by the Taiwanese.

by Dave Barry
MASSP President

Senate Appropriations School Aid Subcommittee members reviewed the status of the proposed 2009-10 budget Tuesday, but in the process heard some hard reminders of the condition of the state's schools.

The majority of school districts are seeing declining enrollments, the subcommittee heard.

And the number of school districts that are technically bankrupt is growing, with dozens with extremely thin financial reserves, they were also told.

The news was grim, committee members were told, and subcommittee chair, Sen. Ron Jelinek (R-Three Oaks), agreed.

The subcommittee also indicated some concerns that the House-passed version of HB 4447* and HB 4438* were larger than the 2009-10 budget proposals made by Governor Jennifer Granholm.

I am looking for additional questions to ask studnets, parents and staff concerning our first year of trimesters.

Am I alone with my dissatisfaction? I was caught off-guard with the news of a new testing date. Pushing the test a week earlier places our kids even further behind everyone else in the country taking the ACT for college admission. That week is important - even more so for Trimester schools like Croswell-Lexington. If what we do in the classroom matters (and I think it certainly does), then this decision is a poor one. Day light savings time ... give me a break.

A Spokane area high school is testing a cell phone jammer to block students from texting and calling.

Mt. Spokane High School recently completed a three-day test. Principal John Hook told KHQ-TV the jamming device was turned on during class time and off during passing periods and lunch hours to give students access to parents or to make important calls.

The Mead School District is checking to make sure the jammer complies with all laws before putting it into use.

School policy requires students to turn off cell phones during class periods.

Congratulations to Jeff Runser, principal of St. Joseph High School. Jeff was recently announced as the recipient of the first Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan North Central Association.

Jeff was recognized for his outstanding leadership in promoting and advancing excellence in education. He was selected from a group of nominees by the Michigan NCA Council, a group of 16 educators, which includes State Superintendent of Instruction Mike Flanagan.

The Detroit News
Thursday, April 16, 2009, Lansing
By Lou Glazer

Reversing Michigan's alarming population decline hopefully will rise to the top of the state's agenda. Particularly retaining and attracting recent college graduates. They are the key to restoring Michigan to high prosperity.

Why? Because employment growth and high wages are increasingly knowledge-based. Primarily in five broad sectors of the economy: information, finance and insurance, professional and technical services, health care and education. These industries, all of which have at least 30 percent of their employees with four-year degrees, are concentrating in the
regions of the country with the greatest concentrations of college educated adults.

I am looking for embedded ELA in any CTE courses. Please post contact information OR Units/lesson plans used in CTE programs.

Cathy Wildes
989 631-5892 ext. 117

Board Requests Legislative Help

The State Board of Education today joined the growing call from education officials to lengthen the school year back to 180 days.

As a part of four requests the Board sent to the Legislature today, the Board asked lawmakers to require school districts hold a minimum of 180 days of school each year rather than simply requiring 1,098 hours of instruction.

The request comes after a survey of more than 750 public school districts and charter schools released last month by the nonpartisan Center for Michigan found that 98 percent of Michigan schools fall short of the 180-day standard across much of the country, something state Superintendent Mike FLANAGAN said at the time was "outrageous" (See "Districts Cutting School Days To Cut Costs," 3/16/09).

After two months of tweaking and last-minute word changes, the State Board of Education today approved and sent to the Legislature a report that noted the progress public school academies (PSA) are making in Michigan.

The Board's last minute changes watered down the faint praise given to charter schools in some areas, but the report stuck to its basic premise that they are doing better.

The Board heard, but ignored, a request from the Michigan Education Association (MEA) to delay approving the report today because of what the teachers' organization saw as flawed methodology and data that did not support the report's conclusions.

This form is available for you to ask legal question(s) you would like Lisa to answer at the Spring Law Update.

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