SAVE THE DATE! On Wednesday night, I’ll be moderating an issues forum organized by the Plymouth and Canton Democratic clubs. The panelists are an all-star cast: Karla Swift, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO David Hecker, president of the American Federation of Teachers of Michigan Emily Dievendorf, executive director of Equality Michigan Libby McGaughey, Vice President of Planned Parenthood Advocates of […]

Yesterday we heard from a faculty member about the Education Achievement Authority “public forum” held on the campus of Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In that account, we learned that the forum was little more than a staged promotional event for the EAA. Today, we hear from David Chapman, an organizer with the EMU student group Students for Ethical […]

Republican Governor Rick Snyder is spending an enormous amount of effort trying to convince Michigan residents that he has increased school funding. In reality, it’s true. The state of Michigan is spending a bit more now than when Snyder took office. But that’s only because he includes temporary federal funding as part of the Stimulus spending legislation sent to states […]

When you don’t have facts, all you have left is lies Diane Ravitch recently posted a piece titled “The Abject Failure of Michigan’s Educational Achievement Authority”. In it, she highlights the excellent analysis of this year’s MEAP test scores done by Wayne State University professor Thomas Pedroni. Then, in the comments, Pedroni was attacked by someone named Curtis Linton: Diane, […]

I have received word that the House Republicans now have enough votes to pass the bill that will expand the State school Reform/Redesign district (HB 4369). Since the SSRRD is comprised exclusively of the Education Achievement Authority until February of 2015, the bill is essentially an expansion of the EAA. I have also heard the Senate is recessing this morning […]

First, I want to reiterate what I said yesterday: there is a very good chance that Republicans are close to having enough votes to to expand the State School Reform/Redesign district (HB 4369) which, for now, is only the EAA. They may vote as early as today if they get enough votes. Two Democrats, John Olumba & Harvey Santana, are […]

It appears that the state House may vote on HB 4369, legislation that would expand the State school reform/redesign (SSRR) school district (which includes the EAA), today or in the very near future, perhaps even yet today. Word I have been getting is that the bill has changed since the Senate passed it. In response to this movement, State Board […]

The following letter was sent to the Education Achievement Authority administration by a teacher who very recently resigned. In it, they describe additional outrageous conditions inside the EAA. Since providing me with this letter, they also informed me they were contacted by a teacher who told them that students are being prepped for the forum at Eastern Michigan University today. […]

The EAA isn’t the only experiment being conducted on Detroit children In all of the sturm und drang over Republican Governor Rick Snyder’s Educational Achievement Authority experiment with Detroit children, it’s easy to forget about the other experiment they are part of: state control of the Detroit Public Schools by an Emergency Manager. I’ve written reams on this topic but […]

In addition to the multiple other education-related events happening in Michigan this week (details on the others HERE), the group Michigan for Public Education is holding its quarterly speakers meeting this Friday, March 14. This event will host three outstanding speakers covering an array of topics related to protecting our public education system in Michigan: David Arsen, Ph.D. from MSU […]

Many Eastern Michigan University faculty and students, particularly those in the College of Education, have been pushing the EMU regents to immediately end their partnership with Governor Snyder’s failed experiment with Detroit students known as the Education Achievement Authority. Professor Stephen Wellinski has created a petition which you can sign HERE to show your support. Dr. Wellinski has put together […]