education

BY LORI HIGGINS
FREE PRESS EDUCATION WRITER

The head of a group pushing for school funding reforms says if the Legislature doesn't take action, his group will push for a ballot initiative.

"I am offended at the notion that we have to go to the ballot," said Tom White, chairman of Save Our Students, Schools and State (SOS) and former head of the Michigan School Business Officials organization. "But if we have to go, we will."

Over a year ago I heard the Gates Foundation people tell of their switch of focus to get the message to the students. GetSchooled.com is it. The site states, “Get schooled is founded on the belief that our nation can be made stronger by strengthening the minds and improving the skills of every American….Everything is connected to education…We will work to connect and engage all those who care about education and are actively working toward change.”

Duncan Outlines Priorities at Principals’ Conference
Teacher Evaluations Cited As Education Reform Priority
By James Michael Brodie
Education Week

Education Secretary Arne Duncan brought his reform message to school administrators on Friday, calling for teacher evaluations that re flect what is taking place in the classrooms.

“The teacher evaluation system is basically broken,” Duncan told attendees at a joint confer ence of the National Association of Elementary School Principals and the National Association of Secondary School Principals. “Ninety-nine per cent of teachers in some states are rated above average. … Right now we don’t reward excel lence. We don’t know who the superstars are.”

The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan today released a comprehensive report entitled "Reclaiming Michigan’s Throwaway Kids: Students Trapped in the School-to-Prison Pipeline," which documents a trend amongst school districts to enforce severe disciplinary policies and practices that push children permanently out of the classroom without regard for the long-term impact. The school-to-prison pipeline refers to the national trend of criminalizing, rather than educating, our children.

Education Secretary Says a Focus on Middle and High Schools is “Hugely Important to Us”

Earlier this year, President Obama released a broad outline of his Fiscal Year (FY Y) 2010 budget proposal for the U.S. Department of Education. The three-page document, released on February 26, offered a summary of the president’s educational priorities but contained relatively little in terms of actual dollar figures. On May 7, Obama made it t clear that significant reform around the nation’s middle and high schools will be a big issue in 2009 when he made public his detailed funding proposals, which included new investments in adolescent literacy, a high school graduation initiative, and a focus on turning a around low-performing middle and high schools.

"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.

Taking on Education

The Emergence of State and Local Policies to Support the Recognition of Academic Credit for CTE Coursework

A measure to change the age at which students could dropout of high school suddenly became parental rights legislation during today's House Education Committee.
An amendment to HB 4030, offered by Rep. Joel SHELTROWN (D-West Branch), would require parental approval for a student under 18 to drop out of school. The bill moved out of committee despite Republican opposition and onto the House floor.
At the beginning of the day, HB 4132 and HB 4030, the pair of bills would have increased the age at which a student could drop out of school from 16 to 18. Now, in a very practical sense, the bills are about giving parents a measure of control over potential drop out situations.

2009 Governor's Education Summit

April 28, 2009
Lansing, Michigan

We hope you plan to join us for the 2009 Governor’s Education Summit™ to be held on April 28, 2009 at the Causeway Bay Hotel (formerly the Holiday Inn South) in Lansing, Michigan. We look forward to having nearly 1,000 educators from throughout Michigan join us for this exciting day.

Who should attend?
K-12 Teachers
Superintendents
College Educators
School Board Members
Curriculum Directors
Community Educators
Technology Directors
Business Leaders
For more information, please call (517) 643-0266 or email info@mfel.org