Category: Newsletter


Students, Not Systems

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:5 May 2021

Lansing’s public school bureaucracy is at it again. Just days ago, their advocates in the legislature tried to ram through a devastating amendment to the state’s school budget that would have slashed funding for online learners – during a global


Another Anti-Science School Shutdown

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:19 Apr 2021

The last time Governor Whitmer suggested closing things for a few weeks, her lockdown lasted more than a year. That’s why we were so concerned when the Governor suggested closing schools again just as the spring assessment window opens, with


Spring Break in Lansing

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:6 Apr 2021

Lansing was as quiet last week as hundreds of closed public school buildings have been since Governor Whitmer ordered them shuttered last March. The state legislature is on spring recess, for legislators and staff to be at home (or on


Delivering for Kids, Even if Whitmer Vetoes Their Funding

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:22 Mar 2021

Late last week, the Michigan Senate followed the House’s lead and passed bipartisan school funding bills to help meet the needs of Michigan kids. It was an important move. It’s just a tragedy they even had to act. Earlier this


Whitmer orders behind “youth despair” crisis

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:8 Mar 2021

Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s order last March to close school buildings across the state has had a devastating impact on student performance. At the end of February, as we rapidly approach the one-year anniversary of classroom closures, 125 school districts remained


Governor Whitmer Just Slashed Funding for Online Learning

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:22 Feb 2021

It wasn’t a surprise, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t an outrage. Last week, Governor Gretchen Whitmer presented her annual budget, asking lawmakers to back her priorities and to spend billions in federal COVID relief funding. In a brazen move


A Transparency Crisis at the MI Department of Education

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:8 Feb 2021

Why is Michigan’s education bureaucracy trying to hide school performance data? That’s the question we’ve been asking Governor Gretchen Whitmer for weeks, and the inquiry state Superintendent Michael Rice keeps ducking. The Michigan Department of Education just days ago filed


Students Can’t Wait 5 More Weeks

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:25 Jan 2021

March 1st can’t come soon enough. In fact, it won’t. Too many tens of thousands of Michigan students remain locked out of their classrooms by an anti-science, anti-data governor and local union leaders who have rejected the advice of physicians


State government has failed Michigan students. Do better. Now.

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:11 Jan 2021

When it comes to our kids’ schools and learning, Governor Gretchen Whitmer and her administration have spent the last 10 months flouting the science, ignoring the data, and acting against the advice of physicians, medical experts and the CDC. As


Get teachers immunized and re-open Michigan schools

Posted by:cpickford Posted On:21 Dec 2020

According to experts, science and data — it’s safe for kids to be in the classroom. We know, though, that despite the evidence surrounding student populations, teachers remain understandably concerned about their own health and safety. We also know that