Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
22 January 2013
State Fails Higher Education Test
Article first appeared on The Detroit News
Business group says fund shift to prisons over colleges since ’02 threatens growth
The charts are sobering.
There, in stark type, stands a picture of Michigan that doesn't bode well for a state trying to break from the dysfunction of its past and embrace the promise of a growing, better-educated 21st-century future.
Between 2002 and 2012, state spending per student on higher education declined 35 percent even as public spending per prisoner increased 42 percent, Business Leaders for Michigan said Monday. In 2002, Michigan spent $2 billion on higher ed and $1.7 billion on prisons. A decade later, the state spent $1.3 billion on public colleges and universities and $2 billion on prisons.
Embarrassing? You make the call.
"We think it's going to affect our growth, if it hasn't already," says Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of the business group. "How do you best use the money that government takes in to drive growth? We think it's about people and infrastructure."
Now that Gov. Rick Snyder's Lansing has demonstrated the ability to balance budgets on time, reform business taxes and improve the state's business climate — critical goals of Business Leaders for Michigan's four-year-old turnaround plan — the group wants the governor and the Legislature to coalesce around spending priorities that attract and retain college graduates and spur economic growth.
"Ultimately, from a business point of view, we're interested in putting funds where we get the highest … return on investment — the best place to put the state's money," says Jim Nicholson, chairman of PVS Chemicals Inc.
Public higher education tops the list. The state boasts thousands of job openings in such hot sectors as nursing, industrial engineering and computer systems analysis, but roughly 80 percent of them require applicants to possess an associate’s degree or higher. And by 2020, according to data cited by Business Leaders, 900,000 workers in Michigan will need more than a high school diploma to land a job.
The implications are clear. As much as a restructured Detroit auto industry and a more business-friendly climate help, an under-educated workforce ill-prepared for the jobs of the present and future undermines the state's economic recovery and threatens longer term growth prospects.
Higher ed's predicament is not an accident. In the annual flailing that passed for budgeting in the Granholm years, higher education consistently got the shaft while other sectors (that happened, like prison guards, to enjoy strong union representation) benefited. Higher ed outlays account for less than 25 percent of general fund revenue, down from about 40 percent a decade ago, even as tuition and fees skyrocketed.
And prisons? Michigan's incarceration rate is higher than the average of Great Lakes states; its spending per prisoner is higher than the Great Lakes and national averages; and Michigan's prisons are generally smaller than those operating in other states, limiting the state's ability to reap economies of scale from operating larger facilities.
Worse, what does the fact that Michigan spends more on prisons than public colleges and universities say about its priorities today and its prospects to be competitive in the future? Not much good, particularly if the unmistakable trend goes unreversed.
That would be tragic. By now it should be clear to all but the deliberately deluded that Old Economy Michigan is quickly receding, that rising incomes and better job opportunities require more than a high school diploma, that smart higher education is as much about learning how to think and adapt as it is learning a set of skills.
Business understands that. Now the politicians need to demonstrate that they do, too.
30 July 2012
Annual Teachers Meeting in Detroit Brings Resolution on Testing
Story first reported from Detroit Free Press
American
Federation of Teachers members took a stand against what they say is a fixation
on high-stakes testing in U.S. schools – unanimously passing a resolution today
that says testing should inform education, not impede it.
Randi Weingarten, AFT president, said that teaching should be the center of education, not
testing.
The
Washington, D.C.-based union – which has 1.5 million members – is holding its
annual convention this year at Cobo Center in Detroit. Nearly 2,400 people from
across the country are registered for the convention, officials said today.
The
testing resolution was one of the most important the delegates were to
consider, Weingarten said in the days leading up to the convention.
The
resolution says assessments are an integral part of public education. But it
takes aim at the current environment, saying the test-and-punish model has damaged public education.
Among
those who spoke in support of the resolution was Donald Brown of the Pajaro
Valley Federation of Teachers in California.
Brown said the tests were a humiliation, and only showed students what they weren't learning.
Andrew
Dewey of the Houston Federation of Teachers in Texas said testing is turning children into data points, and feeding data to an accountability monster.
Earlier
today, the delegates heard from Bob King, president of the United Auto Workers,
who railed against what he said is right-wing politics that have reduced funding for schools, reduced support services
in schools and left class sizes bulging.
King said the testing vilified teachers, speaking before teachers
gathered at Cobo Center for the annual meeting of the American Federation of
Teachers.
The AFT
convention in Detroit, its first one here in several decades, has so far drawn
2,350 delegates from across the country. The convention began Friday and runs
through Monday.
King
said the labor movement in Michigan “is fighting a difficult battle.”
He
specifically noted the state’s emergency manager law, saying it is
anti-democratic and should not be allowed.
The EM
law, efforts in Michigan and across the country to adopt what he described as
voter suppression laws, and efforts to curb collective bargaining rights are
destroying democracy in America.
He said
President Barack Obama should be re-elected, saying no one else has stood for collective bargaining like he has.
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03 November 2010
Higher Education funding Rally held at Capitol fails to draw Crowd
Lansing State Journal
Shuttle buses were running between Michigan State University’s campus and the state Capitol building this afternoon. Invitations to a rally organized my MSU’s student government had been extended to the other 14 public universities in the state.
But when the time came for students to tell their elected leaders how they felt about the state’s continuing disinvestment in higher education, the folding chairs set up in front of the Capitol steps were more empty than full. The crowd numbered in the dozens.
“We did as much promotion as possible. We used Facebook, Twitter, word of mouth, flyers, grassroots efforts,” said Justin Epstein, chairman of MSU’s Academic Assembly, part of the Associated Students of MSU. “It wasn’t what we expected.”
Which doesn’t mean it was for nothing, he said. “We had some really great speakers and they delivered some really great speeches.”
But when the time came for students to tell their elected leaders how they felt about the state’s continuing disinvestment in higher education, the folding chairs set up in front of the Capitol steps were more empty than full. The crowd numbered in the dozens.
“We did as much promotion as possible. We used Facebook, Twitter, word of mouth, flyers, grassroots efforts,” said Justin Epstein, chairman of MSU’s Academic Assembly, part of the Associated Students of MSU. “It wasn’t what we expected.”
Which doesn’t mean it was for nothing, he said. “We had some really great speakers and they delivered some really great speeches.”
26 October 2010
College Graduation Rates vary Widely
First appeared in the Traverse City Record-Eagle
Differences in academic preparation, financial stresses and other factors have resulted in huge gaps in graduation rates among Michigan's 15 public universities.
While 89 percent of students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor graduate, only 26 percent do at Lake Superior State University, according to a Detroit Free Press review of federal data. In between are Wayne State University with a 32 percent graduation rate, Saginaw Valley State University at 38 percent and Eastern Michigan University at 40 percent.
Overall, just more than half of the students who entered college in Michigan as first-time students in 2003 graduated within six years, the newspaper reported. There are different statistics for students in Michigan Honors Programs.
Graduation rates are lower for minority students. They range from 79 percent at Michigan-Ann Arbor to 9 percent at Wayne State University.
Education leaders say differences in how prepared students are coming out of high school, their financial support and the number of students working part-time are among the things affecting graduation rates.
"We have been rightly offering opportunities to people who, in many cases, wouldn't have a chance to go to a research university. But without being more successful with them, we're missing the point," said Howard Shapiro, associate vice president of student services and undergraduate affairs at Wayne State University.
His school is among those trying to help students with tutoring, peer mentors and other forms of support. Michigan Honors Classes have similar programs.
LaQuan Rhodes, 18, a graduate of Crockett High School in Detroit, participates in a mentoring program at Saginaw Valley. She said she "wants as much help as possible" and she's been pleasantly surprised by her mentor's involvement.
"She's always getting on me, checking on what I'm doing and if I need help," Rhodes said. "But it's not bad. It's friendly."
The Saginaw Valley program also requires Rhodes to participate in student organizations and attend workshops.
Lou Glazer, president of the Ann Arbor-based think tank Michigan Future, said universities have moral and economic incentives to reduce the dropout rate. This still includes students in Michigan Honors Courses.
"It's the cheapest investment a Michigan college can make," Glazer said, noting that students who stay in school keep paying tuition.
While 89 percent of students at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor graduate, only 26 percent do at Lake Superior State University, according to a Detroit Free Press review of federal data. In between are Wayne State University with a 32 percent graduation rate, Saginaw Valley State University at 38 percent and Eastern Michigan University at 40 percent.
Overall, just more than half of the students who entered college in Michigan as first-time students in 2003 graduated within six years, the newspaper reported. There are different statistics for students in Michigan Honors Programs.
Graduation rates are lower for minority students. They range from 79 percent at Michigan-Ann Arbor to 9 percent at Wayne State University.
Education leaders say differences in how prepared students are coming out of high school, their financial support and the number of students working part-time are among the things affecting graduation rates.
"We have been rightly offering opportunities to people who, in many cases, wouldn't have a chance to go to a research university. But without being more successful with them, we're missing the point," said Howard Shapiro, associate vice president of student services and undergraduate affairs at Wayne State University.
His school is among those trying to help students with tutoring, peer mentors and other forms of support. Michigan Honors Classes have similar programs.
LaQuan Rhodes, 18, a graduate of Crockett High School in Detroit, participates in a mentoring program at Saginaw Valley. She said she "wants as much help as possible" and she's been pleasantly surprised by her mentor's involvement.
"She's always getting on me, checking on what I'm doing and if I need help," Rhodes said. "But it's not bad. It's friendly."
The Saginaw Valley program also requires Rhodes to participate in student organizations and attend workshops.
Lou Glazer, president of the Ann Arbor-based think tank Michigan Future, said universities have moral and economic incentives to reduce the dropout rate. This still includes students in Michigan Honors Courses.
"It's the cheapest investment a Michigan college can make," Glazer said, noting that students who stay in school keep paying tuition.
16 September 2010
Bill Advances on 4-Year Community College Degrees
The Detroit Free Press
LANSING – Community colleges could offer four-year degrees in nursing, under legislation passed by the House and now headed to the Senate.
Four-year degrees could also be obtained at community colleges in culinary arts, and maritime and cement technology.
The proposed expansion has sparked an intense turf war between community colleges that say it would make four-year degrees more accessible, especially to older students, and four-year universities that view it as an expensive encroachment on their academic realm.
About 10 community colleges would probably take advantage of the expansion to four-year degrees, said Mike Hansen, president of the Michigan Association of Community Colleges.
“This bill is about access and affordability,” Hansen said.
He noted a study led by Lt. Gov. John Cherry that called for four-year degree programs at community colleges to address shortages in some professions, such as maritime training and nursing degrees. He said the nursing and maritime professions now require four-year degrees.
A two-year maritime degree now is offered only at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. A two-year degree in cement technology is offered through Alpena Community College.
But the state’s 15 public universities oppose the measure, saying it will water down academic standards especially for nursing programs. Many community colleges offer two-year nursing programs, but the universities argue that four-year programs would drive up the cost and result in inferior training.
“There will be a lot of duplication than we should have,” said Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan, which represents the state’s 15 four-year public universities.
“We’re meeting all unmet needs,” he said.
Boulus said the expansion could jeopardize collaboration between the Michigan universities and community colleges. He said nearly 15,000 university students are enrolled in 300 four-year programs through local community colleges.
Boulus said the universities will work to defeat the two bills in the Senate.
Said Hansen: "We think we have the votes in the Senate to get this done. We hope."
Four-year degrees could also be obtained at community colleges in culinary arts, and maritime and cement technology.
The proposed expansion has sparked an intense turf war between community colleges that say it would make four-year degrees more accessible, especially to older students, and four-year universities that view it as an expensive encroachment on their academic realm.
About 10 community colleges would probably take advantage of the expansion to four-year degrees, said Mike Hansen, president of the Michigan Association of Community Colleges.
“This bill is about access and affordability,” Hansen said.
He noted a study led by Lt. Gov. John Cherry that called for four-year degree programs at community colleges to address shortages in some professions, such as maritime training and nursing degrees. He said the nursing and maritime professions now require four-year degrees.
A two-year maritime degree now is offered only at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City. A two-year degree in cement technology is offered through Alpena Community College.
But the state’s 15 public universities oppose the measure, saying it will water down academic standards especially for nursing programs. Many community colleges offer two-year nursing programs, but the universities argue that four-year programs would drive up the cost and result in inferior training.
“There will be a lot of duplication than we should have,” said Mike Boulus, executive director of the Presidents Council State Universities of Michigan, which represents the state’s 15 four-year public universities.
“We’re meeting all unmet needs,” he said.
Boulus said the expansion could jeopardize collaboration between the Michigan universities and community colleges. He said nearly 15,000 university students are enrolled in 300 four-year programs through local community colleges.
Boulus said the universities will work to defeat the two bills in the Senate.
Said Hansen: "We think we have the votes in the Senate to get this done. We hope."
07 August 2010
Lansing Teachers Win Right to Sue over Students' Discipline
The Detroit Free Press
The Michigan Supreme Court says Lansing teachers had a right to sue the school district over how it disciplined students accused of assault.
The decision Sunday night is significant because it goes beyond teachers. It overturns previous rulings that had restricted access to Michigan’s courts for many parties.
The court’s majority says it’s simply restoring a right that was in place for decades, but conservative justices in the minority predict a flood of new cases.
The case involved a lawsuit by Lansing teachers and their union. They said the school district should have expelled four students, not suspended them, for throwing chairs and other bad behavior.
A state appeals court last year said teachers had no right to challenge how school officials discipline students.
The decision Sunday night is significant because it goes beyond teachers. It overturns previous rulings that had restricted access to Michigan’s courts for many parties.
The court’s majority says it’s simply restoring a right that was in place for decades, but conservative justices in the minority predict a flood of new cases.
The case involved a lawsuit by Lansing teachers and their union. They said the school district should have expelled four students, not suspended them, for throwing chairs and other bad behavior.
A state appeals court last year said teachers had no right to challenge how school officials discipline students.
26 July 2010
Putting Nurses in Local Schools
WWMT
In all of the Calhoun County school districts, there are only two schools with full-time nurses, but that's about to change.
Statewide the school nursing shortage is sobering.
“In the State of Michigan we have roughly one nurse for 7,000 students,” said Jim Rutherford, Calhoun Co. Health Dept. “We need to catch up.”
In Calhoun County, the numbers aren't as bad as they are statewide. Officials estimate the ratio there to be about 4,000 students for every one school nurse.
That's primarily due to school budgets, where dwindling funds have forced some districts to eliminate the school nurse altogether, while other districts have one school nurse that travels to all the schools in that district.
Teachers and secretaries are generally the ones who pick up the medical slack.
“For teachers and secretaries to be asked to do that is impossible,” said Theresa Dawson of KCC School of Nursing.
Now, the Calhoun County Health Department is one of three health departments in the State of Michigan that part of a one-year, $300,000 pilot program to place school nurses in every one of the county's elementary, middle, and high schools.
“This may be the only option where this may be the only health care these kids are getting,” said Rutherford.
While placing a nurse in every school in Calhoun County may sound like a big feat, Kellogg Community College is also taking on the cause and will be rotating their 140 students pursuing a nursing degree into area schools in 2011.
“Our intention is to have all our student nurses spending time in the schools,” said Dawson.
The health department plans to hire a half dozen nurses to be placed in schools by 2011.
21 July 2010
With End of Federal Stimulus, Tough Times for Public Colleges
USA Today
WASHINGTON — Most state governments depend on federal stimulus money to keep public colleges and universities afloat, a new report says. But these funds may be drying up as the new fiscal year begins.
Thirty-nine states used stimulus money to support higher education in the past year, compared to only 14 states the year before, according to the report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. To receive federal funds, states were required to keep higher education funding at or above 2006 levels.
As a result, public funding for higher education increased an average 2.3% last year. Without stimulus money, it would have fallen 2.5%, according to the report.
Public funding for colleges and universities still fell in 23 states, despite the overall increase. Hawaii made the most drastic cuts, at 26%, and Michigan and Louisiana each reported reductions of over 5%.
Experts say it won't be long before stimulus dollars disappear for good, forcing state colleges and universities to raise tuition, cut enrollment, or lay off faculty — trends already apparent at institutions across the nation.
"Higher education funding will continue to take significant cuts in most states," said William Zumeta, a public affairs and education professor at the University of Washington. "Very little of the federal stimulus is left for this fiscal year, and it looks unlikely that there will be any more for higher education."
Since colleges and universities can raise tuition to compensate for reduced state funding, any extra stimulus money will likely go to Medicaid and other state services, Zumeta predicted.
"Higher education is the only state function that can look to its customers to pay more," he said.
Tuition at public institutions already has risen, climbing 6.5% last year at public four-year colleges and universities, and 7.3% at two-year colleges.
This year, tuition rose 32% in the University of California system. Hikes are also expected for Michigan college.
The recession is "a double whammy for students," said Don Heller, director of Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education. "Students and parents have fewer resources to pay for college during recession, and at the same time, tuition is going up."
To make matters worse, he added, many states have reduced funding for financial aid programs.
Dustin Daniels, student body president at Florida State University, where tuition will increase 15% next year, said some students are struggling financially.
"I don't think we've gotten to the point where we're pushing a lot of students that can't afford tuition to the wayside, but I think we're getting there really fast," he said.
Last year, FSU laid off 21 tenured and 34 tenure-track professors after state support fell by $82 million.
Such drastic moves may become a trend, experts say. Concerns about the deficit mean Congress is unlikely to approve more stimulus spending this election year. And problems with higher education funding may not end with the economic crisis.
Jim Palmer, editor of Grapevine, an Illinois State University publication that tracks state tax support for higher education, said current methods for funding higher education are outdated and need to be revamped if the country is to meet President Obama's goal of having the world's highest proportion of college graduates.
"Our aspirations for higher education have outpaced our funding systems," he said.
Thirty-nine states used stimulus money to support higher education in the past year, compared to only 14 states the year before, according to the report by the National Conference of State Legislatures. To receive federal funds, states were required to keep higher education funding at or above 2006 levels.
As a result, public funding for higher education increased an average 2.3% last year. Without stimulus money, it would have fallen 2.5%, according to the report.
Public funding for colleges and universities still fell in 23 states, despite the overall increase. Hawaii made the most drastic cuts, at 26%, and Michigan and Louisiana each reported reductions of over 5%.
Experts say it won't be long before stimulus dollars disappear for good, forcing state colleges and universities to raise tuition, cut enrollment, or lay off faculty — trends already apparent at institutions across the nation.
"Higher education funding will continue to take significant cuts in most states," said William Zumeta, a public affairs and education professor at the University of Washington. "Very little of the federal stimulus is left for this fiscal year, and it looks unlikely that there will be any more for higher education."
Since colleges and universities can raise tuition to compensate for reduced state funding, any extra stimulus money will likely go to Medicaid and other state services, Zumeta predicted.
"Higher education is the only state function that can look to its customers to pay more," he said.
Tuition at public institutions already has risen, climbing 6.5% last year at public four-year colleges and universities, and 7.3% at two-year colleges.
This year, tuition rose 32% in the University of California system. Hikes are also expected for Michigan college.
The recession is "a double whammy for students," said Don Heller, director of Pennsylvania State University's Center for the Study of Higher Education. "Students and parents have fewer resources to pay for college during recession, and at the same time, tuition is going up."
To make matters worse, he added, many states have reduced funding for financial aid programs.
Dustin Daniels, student body president at Florida State University, where tuition will increase 15% next year, said some students are struggling financially.
"I don't think we've gotten to the point where we're pushing a lot of students that can't afford tuition to the wayside, but I think we're getting there really fast," he said.
Last year, FSU laid off 21 tenured and 34 tenure-track professors after state support fell by $82 million.
Such drastic moves may become a trend, experts say. Concerns about the deficit mean Congress is unlikely to approve more stimulus spending this election year. And problems with higher education funding may not end with the economic crisis.
Jim Palmer, editor of Grapevine, an Illinois State University publication that tracks state tax support for higher education, said current methods for funding higher education are outdated and need to be revamped if the country is to meet President Obama's goal of having the world's highest proportion of college graduates.
"Our aspirations for higher education have outpaced our funding systems," he said.
03 June 2010
Casino Money to Aid College Scholarship Plan
Chicago Tribune
Legislation headed for Gov. Jennifer Granholm's desk would allow Michigan school districts to use money received through agreements with tribal-run casinos to fund college scholarship programs.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday.
Michigan has more than 20 casinos run by American Indian tribes. The tribes have agreements with the state that typically provides 2 percent of certain gaming revenue to local governments, including schools.
The bill would allow school districts covered by those agreements to use their proceeds for scholarships for their graduates.
The legislation sponsored by Republican Sen. Ron Jelinek of Three Oaks was sparked by a plan from New Buffalo schools to fund a scholarship program.
The Senate unanimously approved the bill on Wednesday.
Michigan has more than 20 casinos run by American Indian tribes. The tribes have agreements with the state that typically provides 2 percent of certain gaming revenue to local governments, including schools.
The bill would allow school districts covered by those agreements to use their proceeds for scholarships for their graduates.
The legislation sponsored by Republican Sen. Ron Jelinek of Three Oaks was sparked by a plan from New Buffalo schools to fund a scholarship program.
20 May 2010
High Lead Levels Hurt Learning for DPS Kids
The Detroit Free Press
More than half of students tested have poisoning history
More than half of the students tested in Detroit Public Schools have a history of lead poisoning, which affects brain function for life, according to data compiled by city health and education officials.
The data also show, for the first time in Detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. About 60% of DPS students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels.
The higher the lead levels, the lower the MEAP scores, though other factors also may play a role.
The research -- the result of an unusual collaboration between the city's Department of Health & Wellness Promotion and DPS -- also reveals that children receiving special education were more likely to have lead poisoning.
The data, involving tens of thousands of city children, underscore the persistent and troubling legacy of lead, even as the overall number of lead cases continues to fall in Detroit and across the nation.
June Jackson didn't realize until it was too late that her daughter Taylor, now 12, had high lead levels as a toddler. "I feel bad, like it's my fault," Jackson said. The girl receives special education and still struggles with reading and memory problems, which her mother attributes to lead.
"For years, we've blamed the schools and the teachers for kids failing," said Brenda Gelman-Berkowitz, a school social worker for the district. These new findings, she said, show the answer may be more complicated. "We haven't seen this connection with lead before. But I see evidence of it everywhere."
Nightmare of lead a reality for many families in Detroit
Reggie Cureton doesn't recall pulling bits of lead paint off the wall near his crib as a toddler and eating it. For a long time, his parents didn't notice.
He was a bright baby who sat up early, walked early and recognized letters and colors early. But between the ages of 1 and 2, a blood test showed he had 21 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood -- more than double the level of concern set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now 9, Reggie is great at building with Legos but struggles with reading, memory and paying attention.
Reggie's challenges are familiar to his mother, Jeanine, who has her own history of lead contamination -- and to generations of families living in Detroit. Despite significant declines in Detroit, thousands of children continue to be diagnosed with lead poisoning each year, a by-product of older homes with lead-based paint, pervasive poverty and an often unhealthy diet.
'These numbers are scary'
Now, a landmark study by the city health department and Detroit Public Schools of lead data and test scores shows that the higher the lead level, the worse a student's scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program exam, or MEAP.
Overall, 58% of roughly 39,000 DPS students tested -- 22,755 children -- had a history of lead poisoning, according to the study.
Perhaps more startling: Of the 39,199 students tested as young children, only 23 had no lead in their bodies.
"These numbers are scary," said Lyke Thompson, a Wayne State University professor who has studied lead poisoning in Detroit for more than a decade.
The correlation between high lead levels and low test scores carries particular resonance in Detroit, where students have fared poorly on academic achievement tests.
DPS students ranked last in the nation in 2009 on the National Assessment of Education Progress math test for fourth- and eighth-graders. The city's MEAP scores are consistently among the lowest in the state.
"This is a crisis," said Carole Ann Beaman, disabilities coordinator for DPS. "There is a clear connection between lead poisoning and academic problems, which is relevant to understanding achievement gaps and why schools are failing."
Other factors -- including poverty and parents' level of education -- may play a role. But the impact of lead on test scores has lingered in the shadows. Until now.
DPS emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said lead exposure is one factor that leaves some kids poorly prepared for school.
"Schools can be partners by, among other things, emphasizing reading early, as we have done, ensuring healthy foods in the cafeteria and making certain that physical education is universal," Bobb said. "Sadly, these results are not a surprise," said Marie Lynn Miranda, a former Detroiter and director of the Children's Environmental Health Initiative at Duke University.
No level is safe
In 1991, the CDC set 10 micrograms as its level of concern for lead in children, but dozens of studies have shown brain damage at lower levels.
Many experts count kids with levels of 5 micrograms as lead-poisoned. The CDC said in 2005 that there is no safe level of lead for children. Although there are many ways children are exposed, most cases are from paint in homes.
Last year, more than 5,000 cases of lead poisoning were diagnosed in Detroit children younger than 6. More than 800 of those kids had lead levels of 10 micrograms or higher.
Exposure to lead in young children damages developing brains -- and its effects are permanent, so once a child has high levels, the harm is done. Detroit has long led the state in lead poisoning, consistently accounting for more than 50% of Michigan's cases.
"This is an educational crisis, and we should be doing something about it," said Randall Raymond, geographic information specialist for DPS who helped analyze the data.
School and health officials compared lead levels in children with student test scores on the 2008 MEAP exam to determine whether lead affected academic performance.
Such studies are rare because medical records are confidential. Schools usually don't know which kids are poisoned.
Analysts were able to find lead test results for nearly half the current students in DPS (not every child is tested) and determine the schools and areas of the cities most affected.
Results also showed that kids in special education had higher lead levels.
WSU nursing professor Lisa Chiodo studied a group of Detroit children from birth to age 20. The study showed that kids with higher lead levels had lower IQs -- findings consistent with decades of research nationally.
Children with lead poisoning can become discouraged. One study found these students are seven times more likely to drop out than those with low levels.
Because of problems with learning and memory, these children tend to be easily frustrated, inattentive and withdrawn, Chiodo said. By adolescence, this frustration can turn to aggression or delinquency.
Chiodo said it's time to do something to help. "We need curriculums for lead-exposed kids," Chiodo said. "We need interventions."
The data also show, for the first time in Detroit, a link between higher lead levels and poor academic performance. About 60% of DPS students who performed below their grade level on 2008 standardized tests had elevated lead levels.
The higher the lead levels, the lower the MEAP scores, though other factors also may play a role.
The research -- the result of an unusual collaboration between the city's Department of Health & Wellness Promotion and DPS -- also reveals that children receiving special education were more likely to have lead poisoning.
The data, involving tens of thousands of city children, underscore the persistent and troubling legacy of lead, even as the overall number of lead cases continues to fall in Detroit and across the nation.
June Jackson didn't realize until it was too late that her daughter Taylor, now 12, had high lead levels as a toddler. "I feel bad, like it's my fault," Jackson said. The girl receives special education and still struggles with reading and memory problems, which her mother attributes to lead.
"For years, we've blamed the schools and the teachers for kids failing," said Brenda Gelman-Berkowitz, a school social worker for the district. These new findings, she said, show the answer may be more complicated. "We haven't seen this connection with lead before. But I see evidence of it everywhere."
Nightmare of lead a reality for many families in Detroit
Reggie Cureton doesn't recall pulling bits of lead paint off the wall near his crib as a toddler and eating it. For a long time, his parents didn't notice.
He was a bright baby who sat up early, walked early and recognized letters and colors early. But between the ages of 1 and 2, a blood test showed he had 21 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood -- more than double the level of concern set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Now 9, Reggie is great at building with Legos but struggles with reading, memory and paying attention.
Reggie's challenges are familiar to his mother, Jeanine, who has her own history of lead contamination -- and to generations of families living in Detroit. Despite significant declines in Detroit, thousands of children continue to be diagnosed with lead poisoning each year, a by-product of older homes with lead-based paint, pervasive poverty and an often unhealthy diet.
'These numbers are scary'
Now, a landmark study by the city health department and Detroit Public Schools of lead data and test scores shows that the higher the lead level, the worse a student's scores on the Michigan Educational Assessment Program exam, or MEAP.
Overall, 58% of roughly 39,000 DPS students tested -- 22,755 children -- had a history of lead poisoning, according to the study.
Perhaps more startling: Of the 39,199 students tested as young children, only 23 had no lead in their bodies.
"These numbers are scary," said Lyke Thompson, a Wayne State University professor who has studied lead poisoning in Detroit for more than a decade.
The correlation between high lead levels and low test scores carries particular resonance in Detroit, where students have fared poorly on academic achievement tests.
DPS students ranked last in the nation in 2009 on the National Assessment of Education Progress math test for fourth- and eighth-graders. The city's MEAP scores are consistently among the lowest in the state.
"This is a crisis," said Carole Ann Beaman, disabilities coordinator for DPS. "There is a clear connection between lead poisoning and academic problems, which is relevant to understanding achievement gaps and why schools are failing."
Other factors -- including poverty and parents' level of education -- may play a role. But the impact of lead on test scores has lingered in the shadows. Until now.
DPS emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said lead exposure is one factor that leaves some kids poorly prepared for school.
"Schools can be partners by, among other things, emphasizing reading early, as we have done, ensuring healthy foods in the cafeteria and making certain that physical education is universal," Bobb said. "Sadly, these results are not a surprise," said Marie Lynn Miranda, a former Detroiter and director of the Children's Environmental Health Initiative at Duke University.
No level is safe
In 1991, the CDC set 10 micrograms as its level of concern for lead in children, but dozens of studies have shown brain damage at lower levels.
Many experts count kids with levels of 5 micrograms as lead-poisoned. The CDC said in 2005 that there is no safe level of lead for children. Although there are many ways children are exposed, most cases are from paint in homes.
Last year, more than 5,000 cases of lead poisoning were diagnosed in Detroit children younger than 6. More than 800 of those kids had lead levels of 10 micrograms or higher.
Exposure to lead in young children damages developing brains -- and its effects are permanent, so once a child has high levels, the harm is done. Detroit has long led the state in lead poisoning, consistently accounting for more than 50% of Michigan's cases.
"This is an educational crisis, and we should be doing something about it," said Randall Raymond, geographic information specialist for DPS who helped analyze the data.
School and health officials compared lead levels in children with student test scores on the 2008 MEAP exam to determine whether lead affected academic performance.
Such studies are rare because medical records are confidential. Schools usually don't know which kids are poisoned.
Analysts were able to find lead test results for nearly half the current students in DPS (not every child is tested) and determine the schools and areas of the cities most affected.
Results also showed that kids in special education had higher lead levels.
WSU nursing professor Lisa Chiodo studied a group of Detroit children from birth to age 20. The study showed that kids with higher lead levels had lower IQs -- findings consistent with decades of research nationally.
Children with lead poisoning can become discouraged. One study found these students are seven times more likely to drop out than those with low levels.
Because of problems with learning and memory, these children tend to be easily frustrated, inattentive and withdrawn, Chiodo said. By adolescence, this frustration can turn to aggression or delinquency.
Chiodo said it's time to do something to help. "We need curriculums for lead-exposed kids," Chiodo said. "We need interventions."
A family affected
The Cureton family is well aware of the damage lead causes.
Mom Jeanine Cureton, now 26, was 2 1/2 when she was diagnosed with lead poisoning so severe she needed chelation, injections of chemicals that draw lead from the body. Her lead level was 87 micrograms.
"They told my mom not to expect much from me as far as learning ability," she said. "But I had a praying mom who worked with me."
Cureton didn't finish high school, reads at a grade-school level and struggles with memory problems, but she hopes to finish her education and dreams of being a nurse.
When their son Reggie was diagnosed as a toddler with lead poisoning, she and her husband, Reginald, thought they were doing all the right things, including frequently mopping floors and window sills to keep lead dust down.
But their second son, Maurice, now 7, also had high lead levels. The culprit was lead dust in the home's carpet, an assessment found.
That was two houses ago.
The foreclosed house they bought in March has lead, too, tests show. The family hopes to remediate it with the help of ClearCorps, a nonprofit program that tests homes and helps families get rid of lead by stripping, sanding and repainting walls and trim.
In the meantime, the parents say they do everything they can to keep their youngest children from getting lead poisoning, and they work to stimulate the brains of the two oldest.
They also moved the older boys out of DPS -- where Reggie had been having difficulties -- to the private Detroit Merit Academy, where students get fruit and veggie snacks, journals to log how much they read at home and specialized learning plans.
"We work with our kids," said Reginald Cureton. That means reading books with them, working on phonics and vocabulary, a computer program to teach them Spanish, trips to the Detroit Zoo, growing a garden and leaving motivation tips on the refrigerator.
"We want to do things with and for our kids that we didn't have," Jeanine Cureton said.
The Cureton family is well aware of the damage lead causes.
Mom Jeanine Cureton, now 26, was 2 1/2 when she was diagnosed with lead poisoning so severe she needed chelation, injections of chemicals that draw lead from the body. Her lead level was 87 micrograms.
"They told my mom not to expect much from me as far as learning ability," she said. "But I had a praying mom who worked with me."
Cureton didn't finish high school, reads at a grade-school level and struggles with memory problems, but she hopes to finish her education and dreams of being a nurse.
When their son Reggie was diagnosed as a toddler with lead poisoning, she and her husband, Reginald, thought they were doing all the right things, including frequently mopping floors and window sills to keep lead dust down.
But their second son, Maurice, now 7, also had high lead levels. The culprit was lead dust in the home's carpet, an assessment found.
That was two houses ago.
The foreclosed house they bought in March has lead, too, tests show. The family hopes to remediate it with the help of ClearCorps, a nonprofit program that tests homes and helps families get rid of lead by stripping, sanding and repainting walls and trim.
In the meantime, the parents say they do everything they can to keep their youngest children from getting lead poisoning, and they work to stimulate the brains of the two oldest.
They also moved the older boys out of DPS -- where Reggie had been having difficulties -- to the private Detroit Merit Academy, where students get fruit and veggie snacks, journals to log how much they read at home and specialized learning plans.
"We work with our kids," said Reginald Cureton. That means reading books with them, working on phonics and vocabulary, a computer program to teach them Spanish, trips to the Detroit Zoo, growing a garden and leaving motivation tips on the refrigerator.
"We want to do things with and for our kids that we didn't have," Jeanine Cureton said.
'Gives me hope'
Experts say the Curetons are on the right track in working to minimize lead's damage.
Tomas Guilarte, chairman of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, led a 2003 study, which found that a stimulating environment could improve the learning in lead-poisoned rats. Experts are excited by the research, which has not yet been done on humans.
"That study gives me hope," said researcher Miranda of Duke.
Miranda led a 2009 study in North Carolina that found lead exposure helps explain the achievement gap between African-American and white students in reading tests.
Similar studies have produced similar results in Chicago, Massachusetts and Connecticut, Miranda said.
Kids need intervention at an early age to help them overcome some of the effects of lead poisoning, several experts said.
WSU's Chiodo and Teresa Holtrop, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Michigan, said they hope to get a grant this year for a computer program called CogMed. Studies have shown that working with the program 30 minutes a day for five weeks can improve children's memories, which in turn improves learning.
The Curetons are upbeat about the prospects for Reggie and Maurice. Lately, the kids have been doing origami projects, folding paper into complex figures and shapes.
"Our kids are very persistent and don't give up," said Reginald Cureton. "Lead is still affecting them, but not to the point they can't move forward."
Experts say the Curetons are on the right track in working to minimize lead's damage.
Tomas Guilarte, chairman of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, led a 2003 study, which found that a stimulating environment could improve the learning in lead-poisoned rats. Experts are excited by the research, which has not yet been done on humans.
"That study gives me hope," said researcher Miranda of Duke.
Miranda led a 2009 study in North Carolina that found lead exposure helps explain the achievement gap between African-American and white students in reading tests.
Similar studies have produced similar results in Chicago, Massachusetts and Connecticut, Miranda said.
Kids need intervention at an early age to help them overcome some of the effects of lead poisoning, several experts said.
WSU's Chiodo and Teresa Holtrop, a pediatrician at Children's Hospital of Michigan, said they hope to get a grant this year for a computer program called CogMed. Studies have shown that working with the program 30 minutes a day for five weeks can improve children's memories, which in turn improves learning.
The Curetons are upbeat about the prospects for Reggie and Maurice. Lately, the kids have been doing origami projects, folding paper into complex figures and shapes.
"Our kids are very persistent and don't give up," said Reginald Cureton. "Lead is still affecting them, but not to the point they can't move forward."
12 May 2010
Bobb's Academic Plans get Green Light
The Detroit News
State appeals court lifts injunction; DPS board vows to continue fight
Lansing -- Robert Bobb is prepared to move "rapidly" with his academic and closure plans for Detroit Public Schools after winning an appeals court ruling Thursday, but the school board vowed to ask the state Supreme Court to stop him.
"We are going to try to reverse the ruling and, more than that, reverse what Bobb is trying to do to the city of Detroit," said George Washington, an attorney for the 11-member school board after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled just hours after hearing oral arguments from both sides.
The board believes Bobb, the state-appointed emergency financial manager of the district, has no authority to proceed with academic plans and that a Wayne Circuit Court injunction issued last month was needed to protect the district's 85,000 students from undue harm.
But the three-judge appeals court ruled the board "failed to make a showing that (Bobb's) actions would result in harm that would be irreparable."
"It's unfortunate that we've had to delay valuable programs for DPS students and halt others in the interim," DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said after the ruling. "We can now move forward with implementing our plans rapidly at the same time that we look forward to a thorough discussion of these in court."
The decision doesn't end the legal power struggle between Bobb and the board. The board sued Bobb in August, alleging he is overstepping his authority by making academic decisions and for failing to consult with them on financial decisions, as required by law. The case is ongoing in circuit court where Judge Wendy Baxter issued the preliminary injunction April 16 to bar Bobb from proceeding with his $540 million academic plan, among other things. A hearing is scheduled for May 21. The appeals court overturned the injunction Thursday.
"It doesn't diminish the merits of our case and our ability to prevail ultimately against the emergency financial manager's actions," board vice president Anthony Adams said.
Big issues hang in the balance: closing more than 40 schools by June, developing a budget by June 30 and registering thousands of students for summer school.
Bobb "continues to be willing to meet with the board moving forward with programs beneficial for students, as he or his team has done on at least 27 occasions during the last 14 months," Wasko said, providing a timeline of meetings Bobb and his staff had with individuals from the board. However, the board contends consultation only counts when Bobb meets with the full board.
The closings plan, which officials say will save the district $31 million, will also proceed but be modified "based on extensive community input through dozens of parent and school meetings," Wasko added.
The district's deficit has ballooned to $317 million under Bobb, who is in his second year on the job. He was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Earlier Thursday, both sides had 30 minutes to argue their case before Judges Alton T. Davis, William C. Whitbeck and Donald S. Owens.
The board was represented by attorney Shanta Driver, who gave an emotional oral argument, at one point nearing tears, urging the court to follow the law -- which, she said, is not designed to strip away the academic powers of the school board.
Are you "prepared to declare that Detroit is incompetent to make its own decisions about education ... and simply give that right over to the financial manager?"
School board supporters, who had traveled by bus to Lansing, packed the courtroom.
"It hurts me so much," said parent To'I Coleman as she learned of the ruling on the bus ride home. She's worried now about Bobb "running rampant" with school closings and layoffs of teachers and principals. "He's demolishing the public school system and our children are going to pay the price for all of this."
Raymond Howd, who represented Bobb from Attorney General Mike Cox's office, argued it "is inevitable that some of ... Bobb's financial decisions may overlap into the areas of academics, curriculum and educational policies -- he is, after all, in charge of the finances of a public school district, whose core business is academics."
The district faces losing $50 million in federal funds if Bobb is not able to proceed with the academic plans approved by the state Department of Education, Howd said.
Later, Cox praised the appeals court decision. "The ruling is a huge victory for the children of Detroit, and now we can get Mr. Bobb back to work," he said in a statement.
During the hearing, Davis made a comment that foreshadowed the legal power battle over the school system.
"I have a feeling litigation is in the future no matter what we do," he said.
"We are going to try to reverse the ruling and, more than that, reverse what Bobb is trying to do to the city of Detroit," said George Washington, an attorney for the 11-member school board after the Michigan Court of Appeals ruled just hours after hearing oral arguments from both sides.
The board believes Bobb, the state-appointed emergency financial manager of the district, has no authority to proceed with academic plans and that a Wayne Circuit Court injunction issued last month was needed to protect the district's 85,000 students from undue harm.
But the three-judge appeals court ruled the board "failed to make a showing that (Bobb's) actions would result in harm that would be irreparable."
"It's unfortunate that we've had to delay valuable programs for DPS students and halt others in the interim," DPS spokesman Steve Wasko said after the ruling. "We can now move forward with implementing our plans rapidly at the same time that we look forward to a thorough discussion of these in court."
The decision doesn't end the legal power struggle between Bobb and the board. The board sued Bobb in August, alleging he is overstepping his authority by making academic decisions and for failing to consult with them on financial decisions, as required by law. The case is ongoing in circuit court where Judge Wendy Baxter issued the preliminary injunction April 16 to bar Bobb from proceeding with his $540 million academic plan, among other things. A hearing is scheduled for May 21. The appeals court overturned the injunction Thursday.
"It doesn't diminish the merits of our case and our ability to prevail ultimately against the emergency financial manager's actions," board vice president Anthony Adams said.
Big issues hang in the balance: closing more than 40 schools by June, developing a budget by June 30 and registering thousands of students for summer school.
Bobb "continues to be willing to meet with the board moving forward with programs beneficial for students, as he or his team has done on at least 27 occasions during the last 14 months," Wasko said, providing a timeline of meetings Bobb and his staff had with individuals from the board. However, the board contends consultation only counts when Bobb meets with the full board.
The closings plan, which officials say will save the district $31 million, will also proceed but be modified "based on extensive community input through dozens of parent and school meetings," Wasko added.
The district's deficit has ballooned to $317 million under Bobb, who is in his second year on the job. He was appointed by Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
Earlier Thursday, both sides had 30 minutes to argue their case before Judges Alton T. Davis, William C. Whitbeck and Donald S. Owens.
The board was represented by attorney Shanta Driver, who gave an emotional oral argument, at one point nearing tears, urging the court to follow the law -- which, she said, is not designed to strip away the academic powers of the school board.
Are you "prepared to declare that Detroit is incompetent to make its own decisions about education ... and simply give that right over to the financial manager?"
School board supporters, who had traveled by bus to Lansing, packed the courtroom.
"It hurts me so much," said parent To'I Coleman as she learned of the ruling on the bus ride home. She's worried now about Bobb "running rampant" with school closings and layoffs of teachers and principals. "He's demolishing the public school system and our children are going to pay the price for all of this."
Raymond Howd, who represented Bobb from Attorney General Mike Cox's office, argued it "is inevitable that some of ... Bobb's financial decisions may overlap into the areas of academics, curriculum and educational policies -- he is, after all, in charge of the finances of a public school district, whose core business is academics."
The district faces losing $50 million in federal funds if Bobb is not able to proceed with the academic plans approved by the state Department of Education, Howd said.
Later, Cox praised the appeals court decision. "The ruling is a huge victory for the children of Detroit, and now we can get Mr. Bobb back to work," he said in a statement.
During the hearing, Davis made a comment that foreshadowed the legal power battle over the school system.
"I have a feeling litigation is in the future no matter what we do," he said.
10 May 2010
Granholm sent Bill to Give Michigan High School Students more Math Options
mLive
LANSING -- The Michigan Legislature has passed a bill that would give high school students more options to avoid taking algebra II and still graduate.
The bill would let students substitute a statistics or data analysis class in place of the advanced algebra class. The legislation passed the House by a 104-3 vote and passed the Senate by a 32-3 vote on Thursday.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for her consideration. Granholm's administration has resisted changes to the graduation standards.
Some lawmakers have sought to remove algebra II from the list of typical graduation requirements ever since the tougher standards were signed into law four years ago.
One size does not fit all, said Rockford Superintendent Michael Shibler. Students should be required to take four math courses in order to graduate, he said, but ones based on each student's ability and interest.
The bill wouldn't completely resolve the issue, he said, but it would give students more choices. "If they can come through with an alternative to algebra II, it's at least a step in the right direction," he said.
About 25 percent of high school students statewide have failed one or more of their graduation requirement classes, said Kent Intermediate Assistant Superintendent Ron Koehler, who echoed Shibler's opinion.
"We think some alternatives are very helpful or very positive for students who may be good students but may be challenged by the rigor of algebra II," he said.
The stricter standards for graduation kick in with the class of 2011.
The bill would let students substitute a statistics or data analysis class in place of the advanced algebra class. The legislation passed the House by a 104-3 vote and passed the Senate by a 32-3 vote on Thursday.
The legislation now goes to Gov. Jennifer Granholm for her consideration. Granholm's administration has resisted changes to the graduation standards.
Some lawmakers have sought to remove algebra II from the list of typical graduation requirements ever since the tougher standards were signed into law four years ago.
One size does not fit all, said Rockford Superintendent Michael Shibler. Students should be required to take four math courses in order to graduate, he said, but ones based on each student's ability and interest.
The bill wouldn't completely resolve the issue, he said, but it would give students more choices. "If they can come through with an alternative to algebra II, it's at least a step in the right direction," he said.
About 25 percent of high school students statewide have failed one or more of their graduation requirement classes, said Kent Intermediate Assistant Superintendent Ron Koehler, who echoed Shibler's opinion.
"We think some alternatives are very helpful or very positive for students who may be good students but may be challenged by the rigor of algebra II," he said.
The stricter standards for graduation kick in with the class of 2011.
02 May 2010
Bobb Aims to bring Teach for America to Detroit
The Detroit Free Press
Robert Bobb, emergency financial manager of Detroit Public Schools, delivers the commencement address to the graduates of the School of Education at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor today. (WILLIAM ARCHIE/Detroit Free Press)
Speaking at the University of Michigan this evening, Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb announced that he intends to bring the well-known program Teach for America back to the city in the fall.
Bobb, the state appointee who oversees the DPS budget, was the graduation speaker for the School of Education at U-M.
U-M leads the nation in the number of graduates who join TFA -- which aims to end education inequality by placing graduates as teachers in impoverished schools, according to U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.
In recent years, U-M graduates have left Ann Arbor and gone to cities across the nation, but not to nearby Detroit, after budget cuts and teacher layoffs pushed the program out of DPS several years ago.
“I look forward to signing a contract next week with Teach for America,” Bobb said.
Bobb’s announcement about bringing new teachers to DPS comes weeks after about 2,000 DPS teachers were sent layoff notices because the district faces a deficit over $300 million and declining enrollment.
Keith Johnson, Detroit Federation of Teachers president, said Bobb’s announcement was premature.
“No TFA is coming into DPS when I’ve got teachers facing layoff,” he said. “We have to discuss a whole laundry list of things before it can even be considered for implementation.”
Bobb, a Louisiana native, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Grambling State University, a master’s degree in business from Western Michigan University and completed a certificate program from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He urged the U-M graduates to bring their passion to DPS.
“It’s all about the children and about action,” he said.
Graduate Jessica Thudium, 26, of Sterling Heights said TFA could bring quality, energetic teachers to DPS and attract young professionals to the city.
“You always have to go where the opportunity is,” said Thudium, who earned a master’s degree today after having been laid off a teaching job in Troy schools. “Hopefully this will be an opportunity to bolster education and the city in general.”
Bobb, the state appointee who oversees the DPS budget, was the graduation speaker for the School of Education at U-M.
U-M leads the nation in the number of graduates who join TFA -- which aims to end education inequality by placing graduates as teachers in impoverished schools, according to U-M President Mary Sue Coleman.
In recent years, U-M graduates have left Ann Arbor and gone to cities across the nation, but not to nearby Detroit, after budget cuts and teacher layoffs pushed the program out of DPS several years ago.
“I look forward to signing a contract next week with Teach for America,” Bobb said.
Bobb’s announcement about bringing new teachers to DPS comes weeks after about 2,000 DPS teachers were sent layoff notices because the district faces a deficit over $300 million and declining enrollment.
Keith Johnson, Detroit Federation of Teachers president, said Bobb’s announcement was premature.
“No TFA is coming into DPS when I’ve got teachers facing layoff,” he said. “We have to discuss a whole laundry list of things before it can even be considered for implementation.”
Bobb, a Louisiana native, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Grambling State University, a master’s degree in business from Western Michigan University and completed a certificate program from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
He urged the U-M graduates to bring their passion to DPS.
“It’s all about the children and about action,” he said.
Graduate Jessica Thudium, 26, of Sterling Heights said TFA could bring quality, energetic teachers to DPS and attract young professionals to the city.
“You always have to go where the opportunity is,” said Thudium, who earned a master’s degree today after having been laid off a teaching job in Troy schools. “Hopefully this will be an opportunity to bolster education and the city in general.”
09 April 2010
Michigan College Offers Money-Back Guarantee
LANSING, Mich. (AP) - Even as Michigan endures the nation's highest unemployment rate, jobs are available in select fields for people with the right skills.
Lansing Community College is so convinced the jobs are out there that it's offering a money-back guarantee for students if they don't get an offer of full-time work in the state within a year of finishing one of the four programs.
Pharmacy technicians, call center specialists, computer numerical control machinists and product quality inspectors are the highlighted hot jobs.
Under the six-week Get a Skill, Get a Job training program participants will sign a contract agreeing to full attendance and completion of assigned work. Those who show a good-faith effort to find a job but fail will get a refund after one year.
11 March 2010
Tax Services to Fund Schools? NO
The Detroit Free Press / Robert D. Fowler
State should live within its means, help to grow, promote thriving economy
The question is how to generate that revenue. I disagree with the proposal that the best way to meet the revenue needs of state government and public education is by imposing a sales tax on services. That's a tax hike, plain and simple, and it increases the overall tax burden on struggling Michigan citizens.
We need to get away from the tired old prescription of addressing revenue shortfalls by automatically seeking additional taxes. Part of the solution involves structural reform of state spending that makes state government operate more efficiently and live within its means. That makes perfect sense to small business owners. These entrepreneurs across Michigan have worked ceaselessly, and made tremendous sacrifices, to find ways to live within their means. They expect state government to do no less and are very impatient with the business-as-usual attitude they perceive in Lansing.
But you may be surprised to hear me suggest that another important part of the solution is growing government revenues, but growing them the right way -- not by expanding the tax burden but by fostering a vigorous and prosperous state economy, an economy that provides an appropriate level of tax revenue that meets the needs of public services and schools, without levying an undue tax burden on the private sector.
A thriving economy begins with entrepreneurial business growth that energizes job creation and boosts incomes. That in turn generates revenue for government. But a sales tax on services hurts consumers and hurts small businesses by taking dollars out of their pockets, and away from business growth in the private economy, and transferring an even higher percentage of private resources to the public sector. That's exactly the wrong formula for solving our economic woes.
We're at a tipping point in Michigan's economy. We can either add taxes, in the form of a sales tax on services that further burdens our struggling consumers, or we can take down barriers to business and income growth. Meeting Michigan's revenue needs begins with expanding Michigan's economy, continues with real structural spending reforms and concludes with a higher level of prosperity that benefits everyone in our state.
Robert D. Fowler, is president and CEO of Small Business Association of Michigan
Tax Services to Fund Schools? YES
The Detroit Free Press / Robert J. Kleine
Modernize the State's System to Stabilize Funding, Transform Economy
Education is the key to transforming Michigan's economy. We must act to properly fund Michigan schools. Otherwise, we risk further cuts to education and damage to our economic diversification and job-creation efforts.
Inadequate funding already has forced a $165-per-pupil cut for schools this fiscal year. If changes are not made to Michigan's tax system, schools could face an additional $255 per pupil cut in the 2011 fiscal year.
A major revenue source for schools is the state sales tax, which is levied on goods and a few services. But the sales tax base is shrinking because consumer spending has changed. In 1950, consumer spending was 60% on goods. Today, more than 66% of consumer spending is on services. As the percentage of spending on goods declines, the base for funding Michigan schools decreases.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has proposed fixing this structural problem by lowering the existing sales-and-use tax rate from 6% to 5.5%, while broadening the base to include other services. Michigan now taxes only 27 of 168 transactions it classifies as services, which ranks 39th lowest in the nation, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. At 5.5%, Michigan would have one of the lowest sales tax rates in the nation. Only five states would have a lower rate.
The governor also wants to cut the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) surcharge in half in 2011 and completely eliminate it in 2012. Phasing out the surcharge, together with additional stepped reductions in the MBT gross receipts tax rate, will help Michigan businesses invest and create jobs.
The net revenue impact of the changes to the sales-and-use tax and the Michigan Business Tax is $554 million for the 2011 fiscal year. That $554 million will go directly to the School Aid Fund. By the end of the 2013 fiscal year, the changes to the sales and use tax and MBT will be revenue neutral.
Some argue that, before considering any tax changes, there must be further cuts in state spending along with government reforms. Governor Granholm has cut more state spending than any governor in Michigan history, resolving more than $10 billion in deficits. The governor is recommending another $566 million in spending reductions for the 2011 fiscal year.
Also, in January the governor outlined her 29 reforms for Michigan government, including significant changes to public employee pensions and health care. These reforms will save $7.8 billion over the next decade.
But Michigan will not be more attractive to businesses simply by reforming government and cutting spending. We must invest in the things most critical to attracting business investment.
Education tops that list. By modernizing the state's tax system, we can stabilize school funding in Michigan. Children will receive the world-class education they need to compete in a global economy. And business will get the educated workforce it seeks and requires.
Inadequate funding already has forced a $165-per-pupil cut for schools this fiscal year. If changes are not made to Michigan's tax system, schools could face an additional $255 per pupil cut in the 2011 fiscal year.
A major revenue source for schools is the state sales tax, which is levied on goods and a few services. But the sales tax base is shrinking because consumer spending has changed. In 1950, consumer spending was 60% on goods. Today, more than 66% of consumer spending is on services. As the percentage of spending on goods declines, the base for funding Michigan schools decreases.
Gov. Jennifer Granholm has proposed fixing this structural problem by lowering the existing sales-and-use tax rate from 6% to 5.5%, while broadening the base to include other services. Michigan now taxes only 27 of 168 transactions it classifies as services, which ranks 39th lowest in the nation, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. At 5.5%, Michigan would have one of the lowest sales tax rates in the nation. Only five states would have a lower rate.
The governor also wants to cut the Michigan Business Tax (MBT) surcharge in half in 2011 and completely eliminate it in 2012. Phasing out the surcharge, together with additional stepped reductions in the MBT gross receipts tax rate, will help Michigan businesses invest and create jobs.
The net revenue impact of the changes to the sales-and-use tax and the Michigan Business Tax is $554 million for the 2011 fiscal year. That $554 million will go directly to the School Aid Fund. By the end of the 2013 fiscal year, the changes to the sales and use tax and MBT will be revenue neutral.
Some argue that, before considering any tax changes, there must be further cuts in state spending along with government reforms. Governor Granholm has cut more state spending than any governor in Michigan history, resolving more than $10 billion in deficits. The governor is recommending another $566 million in spending reductions for the 2011 fiscal year.
Also, in January the governor outlined her 29 reforms for Michigan government, including significant changes to public employee pensions and health care. These reforms will save $7.8 billion over the next decade.
But Michigan will not be more attractive to businesses simply by reforming government and cutting spending. We must invest in the things most critical to attracting business investment.
Education tops that list. By modernizing the state's tax system, we can stabilize school funding in Michigan. Children will receive the world-class education they need to compete in a global economy. And business will get the educated workforce it seeks and requires.
Robert J. Kleine is Michigan state treasurer.
09 November 2009
Michigan To Receive Grant For Math And Science Teachers
from the Detroit Free Press
Michigan will receive a $16.7-million grant jointly from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, it was announced today.
The grants will provide mentoring and training for 240 math and science teachers. The teachers will agree to spend their first five years of teaching in high need areas such as urban school districts.
Six Michigan universities will be selected to provide the training. The selected universities will be asked to change their college of education techniques to include collaboration with math and science departments.
The universities also will be asked to provide a greater amount of classroom experiences as part of the teaching and mentoring for the students when they begin teaching. An independent study will be done at the end of the five-year grant period to determine the effectiveness of the new programs.
“The states that have the best economies are the states that have the highest numbers of college graduates,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “We want to keep people here, young mathematicians and scientists, to teach Michigan kids.” Future engineers are needed to pursue automotive degrees and bring the state back to the forefront of the industry.
The grants will provide mentoring and training for 240 math and science teachers. The teachers will agree to spend their first five years of teaching in high need areas such as urban school districts.
Six Michigan universities will be selected to provide the training. The selected universities will be asked to change their college of education techniques to include collaboration with math and science departments.
The universities also will be asked to provide a greater amount of classroom experiences as part of the teaching and mentoring for the students when they begin teaching. An independent study will be done at the end of the five-year grant period to determine the effectiveness of the new programs.
“The states that have the best economies are the states that have the highest numbers of college graduates,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm. “We want to keep people here, young mathematicians and scientists, to teach Michigan kids.” Future engineers are needed to pursue automotive degrees and bring the state back to the forefront of the industry.
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