Bay City, Michigan 48706
Front Page 03/29/2024 05:31 About us
www.mybaycity.com February 10, 2013
(Prior Story)   Schools ArTicle 7899   (Next Story)


Michigan's new Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) gets about $5.8 million per month in state aid for 8,824 students.

EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT: Gov. Snyder's New Authority Aims at Lowest 5 Percent

"Lightning Rod for Controversy," Says Education Week

February 10, 2013       Leave a Comment
By: Dave Rogers

Printer Friendly Story View

Education Week newsletter called Michigan's special school district "a lightning rod for controversy."

Michigan's new Educational Achievement Authority (EAA) gets about $5.8 million per month in state aid for 8,824 students, according to the Michigan Department of Education (MDE).

John Covington, chancellor for the EAA,told the Detroit Free Press recently that technology is critical to the new program.

The new EAA curriculum requires students in grades kindergarten through nine to log onto a website to access lessons in the four core subject areas -- math, English, science and social studies -- and selected electives.

The system assigns lessons based on students' ability levels. That course work is considered a student's individual learning plan.

The EAA took over operations for 15 Detroit schools on July 1, 2012. The EAA underwent a year-long planning period funded by private donations through the Michigan Education Excellence Foundation, a nonprofit that raises funds for the reform district.

The EAA reportedly was the first public school district in the nation to start up solely with private funds. Similar programs are in operation in Tennessee and Louisiana and several other states.

The EAA also would be on better financial footing if it had received $24.7 million in Title I federal funding it had expected. The EAA received just $6 million in Title I funds for programs to benefit low-income children because Detroit Public Schools kept the remaining $18 million after transferring the 15 schools to the EAA.

DPS was allowed to keep the majority of the Title I money - for this year only - in order to avert the financial blow DPS would suffer from losing so many students, schools and revenue to the EAA.

"We've done everything we can and should have done with those funds," said Michelle Zdrodowski, spokesperson for DPS.

The state gets less than a dozen requests a year from school districts seeking an advance of their state aid, said Jan Ellis, of the Michigan Department of Education.

The advance must be approved by the state superintendent, the treasurer's office and the state budget director, she said.

Last year Gov. Rick Snyder and Roy Roberts, Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager, announced a plan to redesign public education in Michigan's lowest performing schools. The new system drives vastly more resources into classrooms and offers greater autonomy to teachers aimed at dramatic student achievement increases.

EAA operates the lowest performing 5 percent of schools in Michigan not achieving satisfactory results on a redesign plan or that are under an emergency manager.

Goal is a new, stable, financially responsible set of public schools that create the conditions, supports, tools and resources under which teachers can help students make significant academic gains.

After working with under-performing schools Detroit in the 2012-2013 school year, the EAA would then be expanded to all low-performing schools in the state.

The system will place the ultimate power for running each school in the hands of the principal, teachers and staff at the school, rather than in a central administration or office far removed from the school.

It will allow principals to hire the best teachers; place, train and support them to provide continuous improvement based on student needs and ensure that at least a third more taxpayer dollars are spent directly in the classroom.

Schools remain in the EAS until they show marked progress for students when they can choose to stay or return their transformed DPS public school system.

The new system also will place greater emphasis on community involvement in schools. A Parent Advisory Council (PAC) will be formed at each school to provide local feedback and direction in a way that is much more direct than previously was possible.

As the school progresses in its improvement plan, the parent council will assume additional responsibilities for supporting its school. Parents also will be asked to agree in writing to play a role in making sure their children succeed in school.

"This is not about giving up on DPS or its students," Roberts said. "It is about strengthening it, supporting them, creating a long term sustainable model that ensures 100 percent college- and career-ready graduates, 100 percent of third graders reading at grade level, as much as 95 percent of resources going directly to the schools, programs that attract and retain students and families, a wide range of innovative choices, safe and secure schools, financial sustainability, lean and supportive central administration and rewarding and flexible teacher career paths.

"There are many good schools in the Detroit Public School system that will remain within the Detroit Public Schools system, but we are not on the path to achieve our goals and replicate those successful schools under the current system design," Roberts added. "The new Education Achievement System will drive dramatically more resources into school classrooms, offer schools greater autonomy to use best practices and ensure significant and sustainable student achievement increases." ###

Printer Friendly Story View
Prior Article

February 10, 2020
by: Rachel Reh
Family Winter Fun Fest is BACC Hot Spot for 2/10/2020
Next Article

February 2, 2020
by: Kathy Rupert-Mathews
MOVIE REVIEW: "Just Mercy" ... You Will Shed Tears, or at Least You Should
Agree? or Disagree?


Dave Rogers

Dave Rogers is a former editorial writer for the Bay City Times and a widely read,
respected journalist/writer in and around Bay City.
(Contact Dave Via Email at carraroe@aol.com)

More from Dave Rogers

Send This Story to a Friend!       Letter to the editor       Link to this Story
Printer-Friendly Story View


--- Advertisments ---
     


0200 Nd: 03-25-2024 d 4 cpr 0






12/31/2020 P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm

SPONSORED LINKS



12/31/2020 drop ads P3v3-0200-Ad.cfm


Designed at OJ Advertising, Inc. (V3) (v3) Software by Mid-Michigan Computer Consultants
Bay City, Michigan USA
All Photographs and Content Copyright © 1998 - 2024 by OJA/MMCC. They may be used by permission only.
P3V3-0200 (1) 0   ID:Default   UserID:Default   Type:reader   R:x   PubID:mbC   NewspaperID:noPaperID
  pid:1560   pd:11-18-2012   nd:2024-03-25   ax:2024-03-29   Site:5   ArticleID:7899   MaxA: 999999   MaxAA: 999999
claudebot