Several school reform proposals under consideration in Lansing
Particularly in light of requirements under No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), several school reform bills are being debated at the Capitol and could end up as part of the negotiations over the state budget or public employee health plan.
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Comparing the House and Senate school reform proposals
While the budget and House Bill 5345 remain on the front burner, you also need to know about two other packages of bills that would impact public education.
Rep. Tim Melton, D-Auburn Hills, is the primary sponsor of legislation that would affect so-called “failing schools.” MEA supports House Bills 4787, 4788 and 4789 as a package -- as passed by the House.
Other legislation, primarily sponsored by Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, would create new “neighborhood public schools.” MEA opposes Senate Bills 636, 637 and 638.
Here’s a brief overview of each package.
‘Reform’ discussion includes charter school expansion
Research clashes with rhetoric
Despite a growing body of research that casts doubt on whether the academic performance of students in charter schools is any better than that of their peers in traditional public schools, these alternative schools are at the heart of some of the reform talks taking place in Lansing right now.
Charter school supporters rallied Thursday, Sept. 24, at the Capitol as part of their push to increase the number of the academies allowed in Michigan.
Sen. Wayne Kuipers, R-Holland, is the primary sponsor of a package of bills that would create new public schools called “neighborhood schools.” These public schools would operate much like charter schools. For years, charter school proponents have urged lawmakers to allow more charter schools, currently limited by a cap on the number authorized by public universities. MEA opposes Kuipers’ bills, Senate Bills 636-638. MEA continues to stand for responsible expansion of charter schools that includes increases in accountability and financial transparency, as called for in the MEA-supported McPherson Commission report of 2002.
Research doesn’t support rhetoric that charter schools provide students, especially in low-performing districts, an alternative that will lead to improve performance, or that charter school competition will lead to improvements in neighboring districts.
A study by Stanford University, for example, found that students in more than 80 percent of charter schools either performed the same as – or worse than – students in traditional schools on math tests. The same study found that African-American and Hispanic students were found to do worse in charter schools.
Other research, including through the Great Lakes Center and the RAND Institute, echo these findings.
Updated: October 1, 2009 5:24 PM
School reform quick links:
Talking Points on School Reform