MEA member Leya Woods is concerned about the lack of teachers and administrators who come from minority populations across many school districts in Michigan and the message it sends to students of color sitting in all of those classrooms. The problem is especially striking when comparing the number of support staff who are people of […]
— The MEA Center for Leadership & Learning will be launching a new SCECH-eligible book study next month. “The Laramie Project,” by Moises Kaufman, is a play that explores the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, a gay man living in Laramie, Wyoming. After going through the original play, participants will then read the epilogue, “The […]
In the coming weeks, MEA will hold a second round of Roundtable Discussions for members who identify as people of color. Similar discussions yielded strong discussions about the specific challenges and needs facing educators of color throughout Michigan. All discussions are from 6-7:30 p.m. on the following dates: · January 19 – Ann Arbor · […]
The House Education Committee voted along party lines Tuesday to forward a bill to the House floor seeking to bar discussion in schools about important issues of race and gender in classrooms and limit the professional expertise of educators to help students develop important critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. Sponsored by Rep. Andrew Beeler (R-Fort Gratiot), […]
Engagement * Bargaining * Advocacy * Justice * Empowerment * Support by Brenda Ortega MEA Voice Editor One philosophy of the union bargaining team at Clarkston Community Schools says if it’s a problem for one, it’s a problem for all. For local president Daryl Biallas, that value now extends to a spate of attacks on […]
MEA members who identify as people of color are invited to upcoming roundtable discussions to explore concerns, interests and preferences among this important group of educators. These events will be held throughout October at MEA offices in Lathrup Village (Oct. 7), Kalamazoo (Oct. 14), Grand Rapids (Oct. 20), Flint (Oct. 21) and East Lansing (Oct. 28). […]
School visit highlights the district’s Resilient Schools Project, expanded by COVID-19 funds LINCOLN PARK, Mich. — National Education Association President Becky Pringle, Michigan Education Association President Paula Herbart, and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visited Raupp Elementary School Friday afternoon to learn about Lincoln Park Public Schools’ Resilient Schools Project. The Resilient Schools Project supports […]
On Monday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel led a coalition of 23 attorneys general from across the country urging the U.S. Departments of Education and Justice to reinstate and expand 2014 guidance designed to help public schools meet their obligations under federal law to administer student discipline equitably. In a letter to U.S. Secretary of […]
Educators on our Legislation Commission and Board of Directors work every two years to ensure our Legislative Priorities reflect MEA’s values. Among the values embraced in this guiding document, amended and adopted this spring, is language advocating for the rights of ALL students and educators – and opposing bills like SB 218 that attack transgender […]
For MEA member Henry Stallings, systemic racism and bias is nothing new in the U.S. “As a Black man, I live this every day,” he says. But one thing is changing, he believes: public awareness of issues surrounding marginalized communities in America. With the approaching one-year anniversary of the brutal police killing of George Floyd, […]
