Michigan will spend about $13 billion on K-12 education this year – the single largest use of state revenue. And how those sums will get spent next year and beyond will consume a considerable amount of attention at the Capitol, where views on running schools can be deeply divided. In April 2011, Gov. Rick Snyder […]
Michigan K-12 schools
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Another perspective on ranking ‘valuable’ schools
By Jeff Padden/Public Policy Associates Bridge Magazine published an analysis of the Value-Added Matrix scores for 560 school districts in Michigan, including 52 charter schools and 508 traditional public schools. The VAM scores attempt to correct for differences among the student bodies in schools by looking at the socioeconomic condition of the district, a factor […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Public wants to help teachers improve
The best way to improve schools is to improve the skills of the person standing in the front of Michigan classrooms. Teaching teachers to do their jobs better is the education reform Michigan residents believe will most improve our schools, according to the largest effort ever to collect and analyze public opinion on K-12 education […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Grading teachers proves harder than thought
An annual performance review — in which duties, accomplishments and expectations are weighed against a set of standards — is a rite of passage for most Michiganians. And it’s easy to do for, say, a car salesman. How many cars you sell? How much money did you make? But for Michigan teachers, assessing performance and […]
Posted inTalent & Education
CFM leaders point to early childhood, teacher improvement out of public opinion report
In presenting the results of a year-long listening tour on public schools, the president of the nonprofit Center for Michigan says there’s a “real opportunity” to advance reform in the Legislature this year. “We see real opportunity this year to act on what the citizens want in a couple of key ways,” explained John Bebow […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Message sent: Fix schools, send us the bill
Michigan residents want better schools — and they think the state will have to spend more to get them. That’s among the findings of the largest effort ever to collect and analyze public opinion on K-12 education in Michigan. More than 7,500 people voiced their views on the state’s public education system, over the course […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Survey says: CFM report details public education agenda
Observing the course of education reform in Michigan – and the mounting information that many of Michigan’s children were not being properly prepared for a 21st century world, leaders at the Center for Michigan, a nonprofit, nonpartisan “think-and-do tank” in Ann Arbor struck on a simple idea: Find out what the public – the actual […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Report on Michigan schools should be start of statewide discussion on reform
News flash: Michigan residents want better schools, expanded early childhood programs and more support and more accountability for teachers. And they’re willing to pay more to get them. These are among the findings from the largest effort ever made to gather and analyze public attitudes on K-12 schools in Michigan. More than 7,000 people participated […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Survey says: CFM report details public education agenda
Observing the course of education reform in Michigan – and the mounting information that many of Michigan’s children were not being properly prepared for a 21st century world, leaders at the Center for Michigan, a nonprofit, nonpartisan “think-and-do tank” in Ann Arbor struck on a simple idea: Find out what the public – the actual […]
Posted inTalent & Education
On parents, better to coax or coerce?
Ask Sally Wiggins to describe her role in her daughters’ education, and she starts at the beginning. “My pregnancies were intentional,” she said, embarked upon after her marriage had proven stable over a period of years. Her prenatal care was top-notch; Wiggins, a nurse by profession, took pains to make sure her nutrition, exercise, rest […]