Educators need to get real: Saying you’re in a good Michigan district is like saying you’re the smartest kid in remedial class. The future depends on acting quickly to reform a system that has allowed others to pass us by.
Tom Watkins
A guest author for Bridge Magazine.
Tom Watkins was state superintendent from 2001 to 2005.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | We are divided but have the tools to become a ‘more perfect union’
Michigan led the way toward national unity before, and it can do so again through civil, respectful debate about our differences.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Tips for Michigan’s new state superintendent — from two former ones
An open letter to the next state superintendent of schools, Glenn Maleyko.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Stop throwing more cash at Michigan schools, reform them instead
Democrats must stop measuring how much they love public education by how much taxpayers’ money they spend. We need vertically aligned public schools that hold leaders accountable for students’ academic success.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Oxford shooting shows Michigan has a behavioral health crisis
The expertise and knowledge are there to fix the state’s mental health crisis. What is missing is political will.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan, act like a 2-year-old: Continuously ask, 'Why?'
We cannot maintain government structures we established when Michigan was a different place.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Benton Harbor’s school crisis needs more than a bandage fix
Benton Harbor is in danger of losing its high school because of poor academic performance and debilitating debt. A former state superintendent says the district’s struggles should be a wake-up call for Michigan.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Advice for the new Michigan superintendent, from a former one
Former state superintendent Tom Watkins offers some words of wisdom to Michael Rice, who’ll take over as Michigan’s school chief in July.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan’s next governor must lead, not follow special interests
The next governor has an opportunity – and a responsibility – to address problems that have festered for decades in our polarized politics
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Will China’s rise come at our demise?
If the U.S. and Michigan don’t invest more in education, infrastructure and technology soon, China will own the next century, says Michigan’s former schools superintendent