June 20, 2018
By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association
Michigan’s public education system was the envy of the country. We provided our schools with adequate funding and led the nation in student achievement. Families relocated to Michigan for good jobs and a great public school system. As recently as 20 years ago, Michigan led Great Lakes states in education funding and student proficiency.
A committee, which included conservative state senator and gubernatorial candidate Patrick Colbeck (R-Canton), has forwarded recommendations to the State Board of Education for controversial changes to Michigan’s K-12 social studies standards. Many of these changes remove references to our diverse cultural history that are important for students to learn about, including: References to the Ku…
Update 6/13: On Tuesday, June 12, the Legislature held its final session day prior to the summer break. The education budget passed, as outlined below – including negative language changes impacting partnership schools and districts. Notably on that front, there was recognition by some that the language and structure of the partnership agreement amendments leaves…
Joint MEA / AFT Michigan News Release
Since 2011, too many lawmakers have sided with Betsy DeVos to push an education agenda that included slashing school funding and attacking our frontline educators. This approach has left Michigan near the bottom of almost every metric, from literacy to college preparedness.
Gretchen Whitmer’s “Get It Done: Better Schools Now for Michigan Students” plan will counter that damaging agenda by working with educators who know best what students need to succeed.
Standardized test scores and other student growth measures are poised to take on even greater significance in Michigan classrooms next fall – if state lawmakers fail to act on proposed legislation before adjourning for the summer.
The percentage of a Michigan teacher’s evaluation that is tied to student test scores will jump to 40 percent from 25 percent currently, unless lawmakers pass House Bill 5707 to stop the mandated increase from going into effect next school year.
A car pulled up to the curb as staff members dressed in red shirts held signs and waved to passers-by at Jeannette Junior High School in Utica on Wednesday morning. The parent wanted to know why teachers were protesting.
When Steve Croschere heard that some attention-challenged students at Bothwell Middle School in Marquette needed standing desks to help them learn, he quietly set about making some.
Induction into the Hall of Fame for any profession implies a long list of achievements by the honoree.
Aspiring educators from several universities got a taste of the transformative power of their future careers this spring.
For many years Richard Hale never spoke to his family about his combat experiences as a Marine Corps infantryman in the Vietnam War. He didn’t visit the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., until last October – nearly 50 years after his return home.
