Category: Blog


Michigan Trails Rest of Nation – with Zero Plan to Re-Open Schools

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:2 Jun 2020

School buildings have been closed for more than two months, and districts statewide have submitted “continuity of learning plans” for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Education have yet to


Michigan lags in a path forward for schools

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:26 May 2020

This column originally appeared in the Detroit News. School buildings have been closed for more than two months, and districts statewide have submitted “continuity of learning plans” for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, but Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and


Two Months of Silence in Schools, and From Governor Whitmer

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:18 May 2020

Michigan parents and teachers continue doing selfless and often heroic work in the face of the COVID-19 public health crisis, but as the weeks away from the classroom add up, student advocates are looking ahead to the looming education crisis


GLEP: Where’s the Plan for Coming School Year? Teachers, Families Need & Deserve Clarity – Now

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:8 May 2020

GLEP: Where’s the Plan for Coming School Year? Teachers, Families Need & Deserve Clarity – Now Reformers Still Concerned Too Many Kids Could be Left Behind LANSING – On behalf of Michigan’s parents and students, Great Lakes Education Project Executive


Thank a Public Charter School Teacher!

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:5 May 2020

This week we’re observing National Teacher Appreciation Week and we’re more grateful than ever for the incredible work Michigan’s talented and dedicated public charter school teachers are doing to keep their students engaged and learning in the midst of a


The Old Way of Doing School Doesn’t Work – Our Kids Deserve Better

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:21 Apr 2020

Unprecedented times for our students are creating unprecedented numbers of parent and teacher heroes. As Michigan school districts respond to Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order requiring them to establish so-called “continuity of learning plans,” they’re realizing that students’ best advocates haven’t


Kids deserve more from school. Give them an education, not a calendar

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:20 Apr 2020

This column originally appeared in Bridge. Remember building towers out of blocks with your kids?  Like any other construction project, you start with a wide, sturdy base and you move skyward one step at a time.  Carefully, you layer one block on


Free Education Resources

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:18 Mar 2020

With Michigan schools shut down for the duration of the COVID-19 health crisis, many parents are faced with the challenge of continuing their student’s education at home. Below are some free resources to assist your family. Math Science • Arcademics


MDE’s Dirty Little Secret

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:3 Mar 2020

The Michigan Department of Education has for more than 180 consecutive days broken the state’s reporting law, failing to meet transparency requirements and refusing to publish easy to understand school report cards. But that’s not all. GLEP recently discovered MDE’s


Parents wait for Whitmer to follow the law

Posted by:bdeshone Posted On:24 Feb 2020

This column originally appeared in The Alpena News. More than 175 days and just about as many excuses. That’s what currently stands between the Michigan Department of Education, where state officials are actively hiding school performance data, and Michigan parents