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Parent Views on Distance Learning

The Education Trust-Midwest is surveying Michigan parents to better understand what is working, what is not working, and what parents and students need when it comes to distance and online learning. The information shared by parents will help inform Michigan educators and policymakers, and is critical to understanding how school closures are impacting student learning at home.

Please take 7 minutes to complete the survey and share with your network!

Thanking Teachers This Week and Always

This week marks Teacher Appreciation week, a time for parents and students to recognize the care, dedication and talent of our classroom educators. With schools now closed for the year, the role of teachers in supporting students and parents is even more impactful than before.

Nominate a teacher who you are especially thankful for by replying to this email with the name, school or district and a sentence or two on why you are thankful their work and we will post it on our social media account. You can also tweet @EdTrustMidwest your nomination using #ThankATeacher.

Future for Frontliners

Last week, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced “Futures for Frontliners,” which would provide frontline workers who do not have a college degree with tuition-free pathway to a technical certificate, 2-year degree or 4-year degree.

If enacted by the legislature, the proposed program would support postsecondary programs for a wide range of essential workers, including grocery store employees, hospital and nursing home staff, delivery drivers and some child care providers. Governor Whitmer has proposed that funding from the program would come from federal stimulus dollars passed as the CARES Act.

Earlier this year, the Michigan legislature passed MI-Reconnect on a bipartisan basis. This program, which would provide tuition free postsecondary education to working adults without a college degree was first proposed by Governor Whitmer in her 2019 State of the State address. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MI-Reconnect has not yet been funded.

Tweet of the Week

@EdTrustMidwest: Please fill our our parent survey. We want to know your challenges and thoughts regarding your child's K-12 education and how has the #COVID19 #pandemic affected your family. @EdTrust #coronavirus #literacy #AllKidsMatter