President Obama helped set the tone in his State of the Union address last week, in calling for educational reform that "raises student achievement, inspires students to excel in science and math, and turns around failing schools that steal the future of too many young Americans."
Earlier in January, Governor Granholm had alreading inked a five-part legislative package that will help Michican compete for up to $400 million in federal Recovery Act funds. The Act earmarked a total of $4.35 billion for a "Race to the Top" fund (more at www.ed.gov/) that encourages educational reform in four core areas:
* Adopting standards and assessments to prepare students for college success and the workplace.
* Building data systems that measure student growth and success.
* Recruiting, developing, rewarding and retaining effective teachers and principals.
* Turning around the lowest achieving schools.
Michigan's application for funding, which will be awarded in September, sets goals such as "increasing the number of students ready for college and career, specifically in STEM areas." (Executive summary at www.mi.gov./mde) Other goals include a 5% increase in both high school graduation rate and the percentage of young adults who hold a college degree. The application is supported by 756 school districts representing more than 1.4 million Michigan students. It was sent to Washington with 28 letters of support from schools, businesses, lawmakers and education professionals.
States are also being encouraged to participate in Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign, which the president describes as "a nationwide effort by citizens, non-profits, universities and companies across America to help us move to the top of the pack in math and science education."
At a recent White House ceremony, Obama praised efforts such as the W.K. Kellogg Foundation's $16.7 million grant to the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation. Over two years, the fellowship will train 240 new math and science teachers who, during their first three years in the classroom, will teach nearly 90,000 students.
"The 240 teachers will teach in five school districts that serve Detroit, Grand Rapids, Battle Creek, Kalamazoo and Benton Harbor," Granholm explains. "And six universities selected to educate these new teachers are Eastern Michigan, Grand Valley State, Michigan State, the University of Michigan, Wayne State and Western Michigan."
Still, some analysts warn that such efforts will require a collaborative approach among stakeholders if they are to succeed.
"Education to Innovate can be a helpful component if a regional, community-based organization or non-governmental organizations can plug it in as part of its overall effort to overhaul the local education-to-employment system," maintains Ed Gordon, author of "Winning the Global Talent Showdown." (information at http://www.imperialcorp.com/) Otherwise, warns Gordon, whose book has helped bring awareness to the Kalamazoo Promise, "this campaign will be just another program that will help but not address the systemic talent prep failure that is now undermining the U.S. labor market."
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