NOW is the time to be heard PLEASE SEE UPDATE AT THE END OF THIS POST. The Michigan Department of Education is proposing sweeping changes to the rules that govern how special education students are accommodated in our state’s public schools. The public comment period is short and ends at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 13, 2014. The state website […]

Today’s interview is with a teacher who wishes to remain anonymous because they still work within the EAA. Like some of their colleagues in the EAA, veterans who are certified teachers with experience educating kids, this teacher sees the model as flawed. More importantly, they describe the system as run by administrators who do not know what they are doing. […]

EAA EXPANSION BILL STALLED IN STATE LEGISLATURE With all of the heartbreaking news and stories coming out of Detroit, particularly in regards to the education of Detroit students, I thought it would be nice to start with some good news today. According to an article in the Detroit Free Press today, the bill to codify the Education Achievement Authority in […]

The more you dig, the more there is to break your heart DEMS GET VOCAL ABOUT OPPOSITION TO THE EAA Yesterday, House Democrats held a press conference slamming the Republican push to expand the EAA in face of recent allegations and no proof of improvement. During their comments, they described it as a power grab that puts kids in danger […]

Sometimes conspiracy theorists are right Two things happened this week that are raising questions in the education community. The first is the “coincidental” power outages that occurred in Detroit schools the day before the all-important Count Day yesterday. The outages resulted in with Detroit Public Schools being closed on the day when they count kids to determine how many attend […]

They can hear you now Updated below. After reports that Republicans would try to rush through a vote to expand Governor Snyder’s failed education experiment in Detroit – the Education Achievement Authority – they chose not today. GOP spokesperson Ari Adler was typically snide and derisive when asked about it. “The campaign against this bill is clearly well organized but […]

Last night’s forum on Governor Snyder’s failed education reform experiment in Detroit — the Educational Achievement Authority — drew close to 200 attendees who packed the Little Theater at Pioneer High School, nearly all of whom stayed for the entire 2+ hours. Professor Christopher Robbins from Eastern Michigan started off the evening with an overview of the politics and the […]

Quick, before anyone hears about the all of the problems! The folks at Oakland Schools have posted an urgent call for people opposed to the expansion of the Education Achievement Authority to contact their state legislators THIS MORNING. Why? Because Republicans are in a mad tear to pass the legislation this week. I’m guessing all of the negative publicity they’ve […]

Today’s interview is with a former EAA teacher named Chris Turkaly. Chris taught at Nolan Elementary-Middle School in the EAA for awhile before moving to Mary McLeod Bethune Elementary-Middle School. During his time there, Chris struggled. He had already spent several years teaching in challenged schools in California but coming to the EAA was a completely different experience. Instead getting […]

Something more important going on than revelations that your district is failing Detroit students? Given the turmoil that has rocked the Education Achievement Authority since teachers have begun speaking out about the outrageous teaching conditions and learning environment in EAA schools, you would think the district’s Executive Board and Board of Directors would have plenty of business to attend to […]

This week, the Ann Arbor Education Association will be sponsoring a forum on the Governor Snyder’s failed education experiment known as the Education Achievement Authority. I will be speaking at the event and participating in the panel discussion along with Wayne State University professor Thomas Pedroni, State House Rep. Jeff Irwin, Eastern Michigan University professor Christopher Robbins, and others. The […]