The rigor is still there, the assignments are still there, the reaching out and motivation are still there, but the human component is lacking in some of the crucial moments as a teacher.
Now’s the time — this spring and summer — to explore, to develop, and to deploy a new way of doing things in Michigan schools: a switch to mastery-based learning, a new concept for a lot of us.
We need to address the discrepancies in equitable funding that lead to less opportunity and fewer supports for students with the greatest need. To get there, the authors suggest three important steps.
The men and women on the front lines — the physicians, nurses and pharmacists battling COVID-19 statewide — are often products of Michigan’s public universities.
Medical experts have made it clear that putting children back into crowded classrooms and hallways puts them at risk, two Michigan superintendents write.
Equity matters, even during COVID-19. "We should not allow this health crisis to further exacerbate the achievement gap between various student groups."
Online and offline, teachers are solving crises and delivering quality education amid the new coronavirus outbreak. That should count for something, this guest author writes.
Our guest author, a former member of the State Board of Education,says his recommendations from 18 years ago should be implemented to address the current educational crisis amid the coronavirus.
"Will we take the necessary measures to ensure lives are saved, or will we be mourning the loss of loved ones because of willful disregard of all the warning signs?" this Michigan school superintendent asks in this Guest Commentary.
"Flunking a student is immediately traumatic and is more likely to be experienced by those students who are categorized as poor, male and/or minority," the group of Upper Peninsula school superintendents writes.
Robert McMahan says universities must change, or companies are going to stop buying what they’re selling. Kettering graduates produce the highest return on financial investment of any Michigan university.
Michigan can learn much from other states, where student achievement is better overall and a Zip code doesn’t limit opportunity – thanks in part to education funding focused on opportunity for all.
Our state's teachers, support staff and other public school employees are committed to helping students. This work doesn't end when the school bell rings.
Retirement system costs for school personnel should be a high priority and shouldn’t be viewed as competition with school operations budget, says this guest author.
Michigan’s Read by Grade 3 Law isn’t some scary new policy looming over local students – it’s an essential reform that’s already yielding real results that benefit our kids, says the author of this Guest Commentary.
Lansing’s failures to adequately manage and fund the state retirement system of teachers is chewing up the small annual increases in the state budget for K-12 education.
Funding for students at independent colleges and universities is a vital investment in the well-being of the state — a blending of the individual and common good, says this university president.
