Statement on Enactment of Key Law to Improve Teaching and Learning in Michigan
ROYAL OAK, Mich. (November 5, 2015) – This morning, Governor Rick Snyder signed Senate Bill 103 into law, which will help establish a critical framework for providing Michigan educators with high-quality feedback and support to help improve teaching and learning for Michigan students.
The following statement may be attributed to Amber Arellano, executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest:
“For years, Michigan has failed our teachers by asking them to do and achieve more, without providing the feedback and support to help them improve teaching and learning in their classrooms. Ultimately, this failure shortchanges our students and our future.
“Today, Michigan is turning a corner.
“I am proud to stand with the Governor and the legislature as Michigan takes a step toward becoming a top ten education state, and begins establishing new framework for educator evaluations and support. As we start the challenging work of implementation, we are moving forward with clearer benchmarks for evaluation tools, comparable measures of teacher impact, training to ensure that evaluations are fair and sound, and a meaningful pathway for elevating Michigan’s top teaching talent.”
SB 103 resulted from the leadership of Sen. Phil Pavlov (R – St. Clair Township), Rep. Amanda Price (R – Park Township), Rep. Adam Zemke (D – Ann Arbor), Rep. Lisa Lyons (R – Alto), and Sen. Margaret O’Brien (R – Portage).
# # #
The Education Trust-Midwest (ETM) promotes high academic achievement for all Michigan students at all levels – pre-kindergarten through college — with a particular focus on African American, Latino, American Indian and low-income students. As a non-partisan research, policy and advocacy organization, ETM works alongside parents, educators, policymakers, and business leaders to transform public schools into institutions that serve all students well.
