Candidate Open House & Education Town Hall on July 8 in Detroit
GLEP is joining seven other education advocacy organizations to sponsor a Meet the Candidate night and Education Town Hall Meeting from 6:00-8:00 pm on Tuesday, July 8 at Madison-Carver Academy at 19900 McIntyre Street in Detroit (near 8 Mile Rd and Telegraph Rd). Nearly 50 candidates for State Senate and House of Representatives in a dozen district races have been invited to participate in the event. Please click here to register for this FREE event, and please share this information with voters, parents and interested parties in Wayne County.
DPS Misses Deadline and Loses $4 Million
As reported by the Detroit Free Press, the leadership of DPS really blew it. They missed a deadline to apply for a federal Head Start grant which would have provided $4 million to serve nearly 1,000 students. In the wake of this blunder, it’s nice to see Stephen Henderson (Detroit Free Press) and Nolan Finley (Detroit News) agree we need more quality education choices in Detroit. Click here for the brief video.
Detroit News Urges Governor to Veto Merit Curriculum Changes
In a strongly worded editorial, the Detroit News is asking Governor Snyder to veto a pair of bills (HB 4465 & 4466) on his desk that would make noticeable changes to our high school graduation requirements. GLEP agrees, as we support rigorous standards and high expectations to prepare all students for college or meaningful careers.
Ohio 3rd Grade Reading Results
In the first year since passing a law expecting Ohio students to read, a whopping 87% of students passed the state reading test, a marked increase from previous years. If Ohio can expect their 3rd graders to read, why can’t Michigan? Oh yeah, because Michigan’s entire organized traditional school lobby is opposed to our bills, and to many legislators won’t stand up to their Superintendents.
Cool Charter School Story in Detroit
Michigan Radio recently profiled Detroit’s James and Grace Lee Boggs School one year after opening its doors. The charter school’s community-based vision gives students the opportunity to figure out what the problems are in their community and how to help fix them. “I want a kid to graduate from our school and be able to look around and be like, I’ve been in this neighborhood forever… I know exactly what the needs are in this community and in Detroit in general,” the school’s principal said. The school currently enrolls students in kindergarten through fourth grade and plans to expand to high school in the coming years.
Webinar on Quality Charter Schools on June 26
The Fordham Foundation will be hosting an event at 4:00 pm on Thursday, June 26 with Richard Whitmire, author of the forthcoming book, “On the Rocketship: How Top Charter Schools are Pushing the Envelope,” a superb account of what’s happening with charter schools. A panel of experts will examine whether high-performing schools can scale up quickly, without falling into the pitfalls of the past; and if struggling urban areas and smug suburbs will embrace school choice. Click here to watch this live event.
Long Summer Breaks Kill Learning
In this well-written column in Bridge Magazine, MSU’s Charles Ballard makes the case that summer vacation and a shorter school year is hurting academic achievement and performance for too many students in the state. We agree, and we encourage schools (especially those with at-risk populations) to revise the school calendar to address this known phenomenon.
How Well Do Our Colleges Prepare Teachers?
In partnership with U.S. News & World Report, the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) just released the 2014 Teacher Prep Review, a report that reviews and ranks 1,668 elementary and secondary education programs at higher education institutions throughout the country. The report shows only a handful of teacher preparation programs perform at a high level, including ONE in Michigan. Can you name it? Click here to download the Michigan report.
Ed Reform News From Around the Country
GLEP in the News
________________________________________
Next Week [Legislature is on summer break]
Monday, June 23
Tuesday, June 24
Wednesday, June 25
Thursday, June 26
Friday, June 27
Do you support what GLEP is doing to improve education in Michigan? Please consider making a donation to help us continue our efforts, and all contributions are very much appreciated!!
Respectfully,
 Gary G. Naeyaert
Executive Director
517-281-2690
|
