This week parents and educators have one last chance to weigh in on the state’s plans for the new Michigan Education Achievement Authority.
The authority is a new school system that’ll try to help turn around the state’s lowest performing schools. Roughly 100 public schools across the state make that list. The system starts in Detroit Public Schoolsnext fall.
John Covington is the system’s chancellor. He’s been touring the state for the past month collecting input from parents, educators, and community leaders about how to improve student success at schools with persistent problems.
“There have been some varying I guess opinions as to how we get there,” Covington said at a workshop in Grand Rapids earlier this month. “But the prevailing attitude of most stakeholders is that we need to have better schools.”
The input will help craft the Education Achievement Authority’s strategic plan. He says there are two reoccurring themes coming out of the workshops. One is the importance of have safe, secure schools. He says the second is the preference for more flexibility. He says people would like to see students move up a grade by their mastery of certain skills and have more chance to learn online. Right now schools have to have student in classrooms for a certain length of time (known as seat time).
The final meeting is this Wednesday in Wayne. Click here for more details.
