Education Trust–Midwest

Ed Trust-Midwest Statement on Michigan Charter School Expansion Vote

Posted December 15, 2011 - 2:29pm by djacobs

ROYAL OAK, MI (December 15, 2011) – Today the Michigan legislature passed Senate Bill 618, which will expand charter schools in Michigan. While we support Senator Phil Pavlov, the bill’s sponsor, in his efforts to improve our state’s public education system, we are deeply concerned the legislation did not include language that would have ensured that new charter school expansion will be one of high quality for all of our students.

Leading states such as Ohio make sure quality is a deciding factor in the expansion of existing charter schools and operators. Our students in Michigan deserve the same assurances of quality schools as do the children of Ohio and other states. Even when considering for poverty, there is dramatic variation in Michigan charter schools’ quality.

Statement to the Michigan Governor’s Council on Educator Effectiveness

Posted December 8, 2011 - 11:09am by djacobs

The Education Trust-Midwest thanks the Governor’s Council members for dedicating their time to this incredibly important work – and to Senator Phil Pavlov, former Rep. Tim Melton and Rep. Margaret O’Brien and the other lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who provided so much thoughtful leadership on the issue of teacher evaluation. The Education Trust-Midwest is a non-partisan education policy, research and advocacy organization focused on improving public education for all Michigan students, particularly for low-income children. While many organizations advocate for what’s best for the adults in our education system, we advocate for what’s best for students, based on research and data.

Ed Trust-Midwest Statement on the 2011 NAEP TUDA Reading and Math Results

Posted December 7, 2011 - 11:27am by djacobs

ANN ARBOR, MI (December 7, 2011) – Detroit’s student achievement continues to be devastatingly low -- and has changed very little since 2009 -- according to today’s release of results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).

The NAEP’s Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) for fourth-grade and eighth-grade reading and math shows Detroit’s performance is abysmal, ranking last in fourth-grade math, fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade math. Detroit ranks second to last in eighth-grade reading. Detroit’s African American performance, which ranked last in 2009 for fourth- and eighth-grade math and reading, continues to be last in fourth-grade math. Though Detroit Latino students’ scores increased slightly in fourth- and eighth-grade reading, they are still performing far below the national average.

Ed Trust-Midwest Statement on the 2011 NAEP Reading and Mathematics Results

Posted November 1, 2011 - 4:01pm by djacobs

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (November 1, 2011) — Michigan now consistently ranks in the bottom of states in both performance and improvement in student achievement, after a continued relative decline, according to data released today from the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress. Michigan’s African American children now perform among the worst in the nation for black children.

Michigan’s continued descent – falling from a relative rank of 28th in 2003 to 35th today in the U.S. in fourth-grade reading – demonstrates the importance of educational leadership in the performance of our schools. Other states have continued to improve their levels of student learning on the national assessment. In comparison, Michigan’s performance on the NAEP – the best gauge of student learning across states -- has remained relatively stagnant.

Michigan's Legislature Needs to Slow Down and Get Charter School Legislation Right

Posted September 29, 2011 - 1:12pm by djacobs

ANN ARBOR, MICH. (September 29, 2011) – As the Michigan legislature debates new sweeping education legislation that will remake public education in Michigan -- especially in its poor neighborhoods -- the Education Trust-Midwest calls on lawmakers to put students’ learning first -- and to make sure it gets the bills’ details right to ensure high-quality school options, high standards and honest, reliable information for Michigan families about their children’s charter school performance.

Already this year, Michigan’s legislature has approved much needed changes to Michigan’s teacher-related policies, including tenure reform, changes in lay-off priorities and teacher evaluation. “More changes are needed—stronger teachers do not alone make for better schools,” said Amber Arellano, executive director of Ed Trust-Midwest, Michigan's only state-wide education organization that works on behalf of students to close the achievement gap. “The Legislature needs to slow down and get this right for kids’ sakes.”