Mich. Ed. Update – Jan 23
Amazon Announcement Highlights Need for Educational Transformation
The following is from a January 22 blog post by Amber Arellano. Please click here for the full text of the blog.
News of Amazon’s decision not to include Detroit or Grand Rapids as finalist cities for their second headquarters is disappointing and should serve as a wakeup call. Among the top reasons reported for passing over Michigan is our poor record for developing, retaining and attracting highly educated talent.
While the opportunity presented by Amazon was the largest in recent memory, it is just one opportunity missed because of the educational crisis that Michigan currently is in.
Despite expansive early learning efforts, far too many kindergartners arrive at school without the preparation that they need to learn and thrive. By third grade, 56 percent of Michigan students are not reading at grade level. In eighth grade, two thirds of Michigan students are behind in math. And we know that students of color and students from low-income families are even less likely to be prepared.
Last year, nearly 70,000 Michigan high-school students – 65 percent of juniors at the end of the year – were not considered college- and career-ready.
Simply put, when we deprive our students of the opportunities to achieve, we’re also stacking the odds against our state’s collective prosperity and that of Michigan students.
If all that we get from Amazon is a sense of disappointment from not being selected, then it is a missed opportunity. If, however, this becomes a rallying cry to become a top education state, then the Amazon experience could be a resounding win for our state and our future.
Capital Update
The Senate Education Committee will meet today at noon in Room 1300 of the Binsfeld Building. The agenda will include a discussion of Senate Bill 727 (Pavlov – R) which modifies certain criteria around interim teaching certificates.
Governor Snyder delivers his 2018 State of the State address tonight, beginning at 7 PM, in the state House chambers. The address will also be streamed live here.
The Michigan Senate Education Subcommittee on Michigan Merit Curriculumwill meet on Wednesday, January 24, 2018 at 3:00pm in Room 1100 of the Binsfeld Building. The agenda will include presentations from the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development, the MDE Department of Career & Technical Education and the MDE Office of Improvement and Innovation.
Noteworthy News
- Amazon Announcement Highlights Need for Educational Transformation– Amber Arellano, The Education Trust-Midwest
- Why Amazon didn’t pick Detroit – Candice Williams, Christine Ferrettiand Charles E. Ramirez, The Detroit News
- Study finds Michigan schools are underfunded – Kim Russell, WXYZ.com
- Statewide Study Shows True Cost of Educating a Child – Erin Albaneseand Charles Honey, School News Network
- Why Are Schools Serving Predominately Black Students More Often Marked As ‘Failing’? – Nareissa Smith, Education News
