MEA member Stefanie Sedlar was drawn to become an educator in two ways. She felt a strong desire to help at-risk kids find their way to success, and she believed a federal loan forgiveness program for teachers would help her “afford” to make less income than other college-educated professionals. This week Sedlar shared her story…
The Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University is launching their first ever statewide Read by Grade Three survey for current K-8 teachers and principals – which is now live. Because educators’ time is valuable, EPIC has worked with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to offer 5 hours of State Continuing Education…
By Jennifer Dooley M.Ed., MAED. Sixth-grade teacher Pontiac City School District In the December-January issue of MEA Voice magazine, I was one of several educators quoted in a piece about educator recruitment and retention. However, I found when the issue came out, my quote did not make sense out of context. Without explanation, it was…
February 19, 2020 By PAULA HERBART/President – Michigan Education Association There is a crisis in our public schools that threatens a generation of students. According to the U.S. Department of Education, Michigan has experienced a 70.7% decline in enrollment in teacher-education programs in the last decade. The only state with a worse decline in students studying to…
This election year Michigan will be a battleground state in a fight that will determine the future direction of public education, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters told attendees at last week’s MEA Winter Conference. It’s time to replace U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who has zero experience with public schools as a parent, teacher or administrator,…
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer launched the process for developing next year’s state budget with a proposed spending plan that includes increases for education and weighted funding for students who are costlier to educate. Whitmer is proposing a $415 million increase in K-12 funding and additional money for universities and community colleges. Under the Whitmer plan, base…
At the MEA Winter Conference last week, Sarah Conklin – vice president of the Bridgman Education Association – signed up for a session on a topic she needed to learn more about but dreaded at the same time: Understanding School Finance. “I was most intimidated by this session, and it’s the one where I learned…
EAST LANSING – The Michigan Education Association is pleased to announce the following recommendations of candidates for the U.S. Senate and for eight Michigan Congressional districts: – U.S. Senate – Gary Peters – 5th District – Dan Kildee – 6th District – Jon Hoadley – 8th District – Elissa Slotkin – 9th District – Andy…
MEA member educators in the first 10 years of their careers are invited to join university student members for a newly expanded MEA conference in March that will deliver professional development, networking opportunities, and training sessions. Participants at the event on Saturday, March 21, will discover classroom tips to put to use the following Monday.…
Three years ago, Ann Arbor English teacher and MEA member Jeff Kass committed to take a difficult year of working three jobs to make ends meet and turn it into art. The result was his book of poems, Teacher/Pizza Guy, published by Wayne State University Press in 2019. Now the 23-year veteran of Pioneer High…
