Fierce advocates for the high academic achievement of all students – particularly those of color and living in poverty.

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  • Dream.  Never stop Dreaming. 

    October 23, 2017 by

    by Jose Luis Orozco, Jr. Community School Coordinator Supervisor, Kent School Services Network As a high school counselor, there is no prouder moment than when you see the students that you have worked with for the past couple of years walk across that stage to be handed their high…

  • Michigan can learn from top education states

    October 19, 2017

    by Brian Gutman Over the last several weeks, contributors from a range of sectors have described a sad truth that has been revealed by the data for years. For nearly every group of students, Michigan’s public education system is simply not meeting the needs of students, and as a…

  • Mich. Ed. Roundup - October 18

    October 18, 2017 by

    Top Educator Talent Key for Student and School Success The single greatest in-school predictor of student success is the quality of teaching and learning. This is why leading education states, such as Tennessee, have focused heavily on building the capacity of their educators – through robust feedback, the thoughtful use…

  • Mich. Ed. Roundup - October 10

    October 10, 2017 by

    MI Voters Support Greater Improvement in State's Schools Michigan voters strongly support greater improvement in the state’s schools, according to a survey conducted by Business Leaders for Michigan. Results of the survey were released Sept. 28. Despite their strong support for improvement, it seems that the voters surveyed…

  • Mich. Ed. Roundup - October 3

    October 3, 2017 by

    Equitable access to strong teachers critical for underserved students Black, Latino and Native students, and students from low-income families, are less likely to have access to strong, consistent teaching than their White and more affluent peers in school districts across the nation, according to a new report from The…

  • Mich. Ed. Roundup - September 26

    September 26, 2017 by

    A Closer Look at Latino Student Achievement in Michigan As we observe Hispanic Heritage Month, we are reminded of the need to focus every single month of the year on the needs of historically underserved communities, including Hispanic and Latino students. While the educational achievement for all students in Michigan…

  • Mich. Ed. Roundup - September 19

    September 19, 2017 by

    Observing Hispanic Heritage Month The following excerpt is from a September 18, 2017 blog post. Read the full post here. This year, Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, comes at a remarkable period in our country’s history. In recent months, we have seen…

  • Observing Hispanic Heritage Month

    September 18, 2017 by

    This week begins the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The annual observance is a time for “paying tribute to the generations of Hispanic Americans who have positively influenced and enriched our nation and society,” according to federal agencies marking the month with…

  • Improving early literacy the right start

    September 14, 2017

    by Amber Arellano, The Detroit News The start of a new school year is usually greeted with a great deal of optimism among teachers, parents and students alike. My own daughter is starting kindergarten this month, and her excitement is contagious. Like all parents, I hope and expect she will…

  • Standing with our DREAMers

    September 7, 2017 by

    This week, as millions of American students headed back to school, hundreds of thousands of young people – the “DREAMers” – learned the Trump administration would no longer protect them from deportation, as they strive to achieve the American Dream. Let us be clear, this debate is not about immigration policy…

  • M-STEP Results Show Need to Build on Progress, Not Reset the Clock

    August 29, 2017 by

    ROYAL OAK, Mich. (Aug. 29, 2017) – Today’s release of the results from the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) conducted last spring means that for the first time in many years, Michigan has reliable data for measuring how well students and schools are performing against Michigan…

  • Hate comes in many forms, and we must stand up to them all

    August 17, 2017

    The outcry against the hate displayed in recent days in Charlottesville will fade. It is easy to be outraged when racism is marching up the street waving a bright red flag. As a parent, a Latina and the leader of an organization that celebrates diversity and relentlessly advocates for equity…

  • Standing Up To Hate

    August 16, 2017 by

    The outcry against the hate displayed in recent days in Charlottesville will fade. It is easy to be outraged when racism is marching up the street waving a bright red flag. As a parent, a Latina and the leader of an organization that celebrates diversity and relentlessly advocates for…

  • Opportunities Realized and Lost: Equity and Excellence in Michigan's Budget

    July 24, 2017 by

    Education and equity advocates have much to celebrate in this budget, including additional dollars for our most vulnerable students. Despite this progress, changes made to the state assessment should be concerning to all Michigan students, parents and educators. Since early 2017, the governor and state legislature have been debating…

  • In little more than a decade, Michigan has gone from a fairly average state to the bottom ten states for key subjects on the national assessment. It’s a devastating fall. Over the coming months, the state has an important opportunity for change in the crafting of the Fiscal Year 2017-18 state budget. The roughly $14 billion school aid budget is the primary source of public school funding in Michigan. To be clear, money alone will not necessarily produce dramatically better teaching and learning, especially if that money simply maintains the status quo. However, money invested in transformative, systematic changes has produced extraordinary improvement for student learning in leading states like Massachusetts. Likewise, it’s important that our most vulnerable students get the adequate dollars they need to be successful. Lawmakers and advocates alike will be debating the governor’s budget recommendations along with their own ideas for investing in Michigan’s public education system. In this brief, we highlight and analyze key areas of the governor’s recommendations that advocates and state leaders should watch out for in the upcoming fiscal year: FAIR AND ADEQUATE SCHOOL FUNDING In exchange for greater accountability for schools and educators, Massachusetts leaders committed to greater funding for its schools—particularly those that were high-poverty. Unfortunately, we know that Michigan is among the most inequitable states when it comes to funding inequities between high-poverty and low-poverty districts nationwide. i The governor’s recommendation includes an increase of $128 million for schools, which amounts to about $50-100 per student. The recommendation also includes $22 million for high schools operations, as these schools often have higher costs that elementary schools typically wouldn’t incur. In a smart cost-saving effort, online cyber schools are recommended to receive 20 percent less in per-pupil funding. Previously, these schools received similar funding levels as brick-and-mortar schools, even though online schools have little to no building costs. In addition, the governor recommends a $7 million investment for districts that have declining enrollments. Because funding is based on the number of students enrolled in each school, many districts—particularly high-poverty districts like Detroit or Benton Harbor—struggle to fill budgetary short-falls due to rapidly declining enrollment numbers. Lastly, the governor’s budget recommends a significant increase in funds dedicated to addressing the additional needs of low-income and low-performing students—also known as “at-risk” funding. The $150 million increase brings total funding for at-risk students to over a half billion dollars. In a similar light, due to upcoming reductions in federal grant dollars for high-poverty students, a proposed supplemental budget is being planned to fill these holes. These proposed funding increases—particularly for our most vulnerable students—are a positive step for Michigan’s public school students. We recommend that these investment recommendations be included in the state’s final budget.

    OPPORTUNITIES IN MICHIGAN’S STATE BUDGET: ADVANCING EQUITY IN PUBLIC EDUCATION

    March 20, 2017 by

    In little more than a decade, Michigan has gone from a fairly average state to the bottom ten states for key subjects on the national assessment. It’s a devastating fall. Over the coming months, the state has an important opportunity for change in the crafting of the Fiscal…

  • Michigan's Talent Crisis: The Economic Case For Rebuilding Michigan's Broken Public Education System

    May 19, 2016 by and

    Michigan is at great crossroads – a historic moment when our citizens and leaders must choose whether we will take advantage of major new opportunities to become a top state economically and educationally once again – or face a continued and dramatic decline that will relegate the state and its citizens…

  • Accountability for All: 2016; The Broken Promise of Michigan's Charter Sector

    February 11, 2016 by

    Michigan charter school authorizers’ performance overall has improved marginally over the last year, but remains terribly low compared to leading states’ charter sectors, according to Accountability for All: 2016, The Broken Promise of Michigan's Charter Sector. The report celebrates high-performing authorizers and sheds light on the devastatingly…

  • Michigan Achieves: Becoming a Top Ten Education State

    May 19, 2015 by , and

    Michigan is truly at a crossroads. After years of hard work to recover from the Great Recession, Michigan is beginning to rebuild its economy and many of our fellow Michiganders are getting back to work. While our recovery is fragile, there are economic signs of hope blossoming this spring…