Secretary of State Ruth Johnson visited elementary schools in Grand Blanc and Swartz Creek today in observance of National Reading Month to talk about the importance of having strong reading skills.
Johnson was a special guest for second graders at Cook Elementary School in Grand Blanc in the morning. In the afternoon, she met with second and third graders at Rankin Elementary School in Swartz Creek. She read “Little Michigan” by Denise Brennan-Nelson and played a trivia game, answered questions and took group photos with the kids.
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson plays a Michigan trivia game with students at Cook Elementary School in Grand Blanc on March 27.
During March, schools stress the importance of reading for future success in academics and in the workplace, and welcome guests to read to children
“Reading gives us a foundation for learning and success in life,” Johnson said. “It is also an activity that sparks our imagination and, as the humor columnist Dave Barry has described it, ‘a vacation for the mind.’
“I hope you’ll help celebrate National Reading Month by picking up a good book – or downloading a good e-book – and encouraging others to read as well.”
Secretary of State Ruth Johnson talks with students at Rankin Elementary School in Swartz Creek on March 27.
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments of Kathleen Trott of Birmingham and David Zyble of DeWitt to the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board (Children’s Trust Fund).
The 11-person board promotes the health, safety and welfare of Michigan’s children and families by funding local programs and services that prevent child abuse and neglect.
“I thank Kathleen and David for serving as a voice for Michigan’s children and families and for their dedication to keeping them safe,” said Snyder.
Trott retired as an assistant attorney general from the Michigan Attorney General’s Office in 2013 and previously served as a litigation attorney at Trott & Trott, P.C. She is a board member of the Eckerd College Board of Trustees and served as a member and president of the board of trustees of CARE House of Oakland County. Trott holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Michigan, a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Detroit and a law degree from Wayne State University Law School. She will represent the legal community and replaces Lena Epstein.
Zyble is the assistant vice president of Jackson National Life Insurance Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Northern Michigan University and a juris doctor from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. He will represent the business community and replaces Karl Leuter.
Trott and Zyble will serve three-year terms expiring Dec. 19, 2020. Their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointment of Cheryl Granzo of Belding as well as the reappointments of Deana Strudwick of White Pigeon and Stephanie Peters of Eaton Rapids to the Michigan Interagency Coordinating Council for Infants and Toddlers with Developmental Disabilities.
The 21-member council advises the Michigan Department of Education in the preparation of applications for financial and other assistance for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities. The council also advises and assists the department regarding the appropriate services for children from birth through age five.
“I thank these individuals for serving on this important board. The work they do will be instrumental in assisting families and small children with disabilities,” Snyder said.
Appointment:
Granzo is the supervisor of Birth to Five Programs for the Ionia County Intermediate School District and is also a licensed speech and language pathologist. Granzo holds a master’s degree from Michigan State University, an early childhood education endorsement, and a special education supervisor endorsement from Grand Valley State University. She will represent public or private providers of early intervention services and replace Conny Raaymakers.
Reappointments:
Strudwick is the executive director of special education and early childhood for the St. Joseph County Intermediate School District. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Bowling Green State University, a master’s degree in social work from Western Michigan University and a master’s degree in education from Grand Valley State University. She will continue to represent public or private providers of early intervention services.
Peters previously served as the Ingham Intermediate School District’s Early Childhood and Special Education Support Services Supervisor. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social science and a master’s degree in special education from Michigan State University.
Members serve four-year terms expiring Oct. 31, 2020.
LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Rick Snyder today announced the appointments of Stanley Hannah of Novi and Lauren Rakolta of Birmingham to the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board.
The 11-person board promotes the health, safety, and welfare of Michigan’s children and families by funding local programs and services that prevent child abuse and neglect.
“I am confident Stanley and Lauren will effectively serve the people of Michigan in this role,” said Snyder.
Hannah is senior manager at Plante Moran LLC. and previously served as a senior organizational consultant at Young Samuel Chambers LTD. He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Michigan State University, and a master’s degree in education and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia. He will represent the business community and replace Andra Rush.
Rakolta is owner and president of Devon Facility Management. Previously, she owned and managed her own consulting group specializing in legislative, political, and finance strategies. Rakolta holds a bachelor’s degree from Florida Atlantic University. She will represent the business community and replace Mark Davidoff.
Members will serve the remainder of three-year terms that expire Dec. 19, 2018. Their appointments are subject to the advice and consent of the Senate.
Lansing – The Michigan Department of Civil Rights today announced the Relentless Tour – a first-of-its-kind anti-bullying initiative − will visit South Haven on Friday, March 23.
Motivational speaker Anthony Ianni, a member of Michigan State University’s 2010 and 2012 Big Ten Champion and Tournament Championship teams and the 2010 Final Four team, will speak to students and faculty at South Haven High School, 600 Elkenberg Street, at 1:00 pm.
Ianni was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 4 and was the victim of bullying as a child. He graduated from Michigan State University and became the first known individual with autism to play Division I college basketball. Under legendary MSU coach Tom Izzo, Ianni played with the 2010 and 2012 Big Ten Champion and Tournament Championship teams, and the 2010 Final Four team. He has won a number of awards including MSU’s Tim Bograkos Walk-On Award, the 2012 MSU Unsung Player Award, and was named a 2013 Detroit Pistons Community Game Changer Finalist.
Through the Relentless Tour, Ianni, the Michigan Department of Civil Rights and the Autism Alliance of Michigan seek to raise awareness of autism and the problem of bullying. Students with autism are frequently targeted by bullies, with an estimated 65-90% of individuals with autism having been victims of bullying at some point in their lives.
Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley joined Ianni at the State Capitol on October 17, 2013 to kick off the Relentless Tour and announce the tour’s mission of reaching 659 schools statewide with their anti-bullying message.
“Jobs and kids are the top two priorities for Gov. Snyder and his administration,” said Lt. Governor Calley. “The governor and I strongly believe that every student in Michigan schools is entitled to a safe educational environment. We supported comprehensive legislation that requires each Michigan school to have an anti-bullying policy and the Governor signed that bill into law in 2011. The law makes it clear that bullying is wrong in all its forms and won’t be tolerated in Michigan schools. No child should feel intimidated or afraid to come to school.”
In addition to Lt. Governor Calley and MSU Basketball Coach Tom Izzo, the Relentless Tour has generated the support of Detroit Red Wing Niklas Kronwall and former Detroit Lion Nate Burleson, all of whom are working to spread the anti-bullying message.
“Bullying is something we must put an end to, not only in Michigan but across the country,” said Ianni. “Everyone is affected by bullying in some way and students with autism are at incredibly high risk to be victimized. Our hope is that through my story and spreading our message we can not only inspire kids to take a stand against bullying but also make bullies rethink their actions.”
Contact: Vicki Levengood 517-241-7978 Agency: Civil Rights
February 23, 2018
Lansing, MI – The Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE) has awarded the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR) a $20,000 grant to advance racial equity in the city of Kalamazoo. MDCR will partner with the city to strengthen community partnerships and develop a racial equity lens to better analyze and address the issue of fair housing in the city.
“There has been growing concern from Kalamazoo residents about issues related to housing, including quality and affordability, as well as high rates of homelessness,” said Agustin Arbulu, Executive Director, Michigan Department of Civil Rights. “Looking at this concern through a racial equity lens, we see low rates of home ownership for people of color, high rates of concentrated poverty in neighborhoods where African Americans and Latinos live, and the legacy of redlining and segregation. This grant award enables us to bring together multiple efforts in a comprehensive and sustained way to help foster actionable change.”
Racial equity is the systemic fair treatment of all races that produces equitable opportunities and outcomes for all people. Using a racial equity lens in analyzing societal problems allows communities to focus on the ways in which race and ethnicity shape experiences with power, access to resources and opportunity, and helps them find solutions that advance racial equity.
The GARE grant is designed to provide flexible resources for local government to seed projects that are focused on eliminating structural racism. The grant will support the work of MDCR to:
Build and deepen partnerships between the City of Kalamazoo, MDCR and community-based organizations focused on advancing racial equity;
Connect government entities to the community-based process and emerging infrastructure of the Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) process in Kalamazoo and nationally;Assist the City of Kalamazoo to adopt a racial equity framework in both its internal and external operations, including the implementation of the Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) framework.
Efforts will focus on, but will not be limited to, the Edison, Northside and Eastside neighborhoods. The results of this work will be incorporated into the City of Kalamazoo’s required Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Consolidated Plan for 2019-2024.
“GARE’s Implementation and Innovation Fund offers the prospect of building cross-sector collaboration with partners who have extensive reach and influence in the community,” said Arbulu. “It’s also an opportunity to bring together state and city government, as well as philanthropic and community-based organizations to work collaboratively in advancing racial equity. We’re excited about the promise this project represents.”
Lansing – More than 80 percent of Michigan’s high school students graduated last year, according to data released today by the Michigan Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI).
The 2016-17 school year graduation rate increased slightly to 80.18 percent, up 0.53 percent from 79.65 percent in 2015-16. The dropout rate fell slightly to 8.65 percent for the 2016-17 school year, down .26 percent from the 2015-16 rate of 8.91 percent.
Five of the 10 school districts with the most high school students in the cohort class of 2017 (1,200 to 3,230 students) improved their graduation rates. In order of class size, their rates are:
Detroit Public Schools Community District: 78.22 percent;
Utica Community Schools: 93 percent;
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools: 89.47 percent;
Dearborn City School District: 94.69 percent;
Ann Arbor Public Schools: 89.66 percent;
Chippewa Valley Schools: 92.25 percent;
Rochester Community School District: 96.05 percent;
Warren Consolidated Schools: 84.51 percent;
Walled Lake Consolidated Schools: 93.17 percent; and
Livonia Public School District: 92.28 percent.
Below is the statewide four-year trend for on-time, four-year graduation and dropout rates:
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
2016-17
4-Year Graduation Rate
78.58%
79.79%
79.65%
80.18%
4-Year Dropout Rate
9.61%
9.12%
8.91%
8.65%
“This is the first time the statewide four-year graduation rate has surpassed 80 percent since we started calculating rates by cohorts eleven years ago,” said CEPI Director Tom Howell. “This increase is in line with how the statewide graduation rate has been trending gradually upward.”
CEPI calculates graduation rates by tracking individual student enrollment records from the time they first enroll as ninth-graders. This method, along with concerted efforts by CEPI, school administrators and intermediate school district auditors to account for every student, results in an accurate measure of a school’s success in preparing students for college and careers.
Four-year “on-time” graduation rates are a school accountability measure adopted by the state, and the methodology for calculating rates is aligned with the National Governors Association Graduation Counts Compact.
CEPI also reports graduation rates for students who remain in high school five and six years. Both the 5-year and 6-year graduation rates are relatively unchanged from 2015-16 at 82.76 percent and 83.56 percent respectively.
“An 80 percent statewide graduation rate is a new watermark for our schools. They’ve worked hard to steadily improve,” said State Superintendent Brian Whiston. “This is another important step in helping Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years. We aren’t there yet, so we need to keep working and moving forward.”
Graduation and dropout rates can be found on CEPI’s MI School Data website (www.mischooldata.org). Under the site’s K-12th Grade Student Counts section, visitors can select a school or district or compare one district to another. User-selected settings permit exploring 4-year, 5-year, and 6-year graduation rates by gender, race or ethnicity, or by demographic categories such as economically disadvantaged, English language learners, homeless, migrant, and students with disabilities.
CEPI is a division of the State Budget Office. It facilitates the collection, management and reporting of public education data required by state and federal law. MI School Data is Michigan’s official education data portal to help citizens, educators and policymakers make informed decisions that can lead to improved success for our students.
Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395 Agency: Education
February 2, 2018
LANSING – The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is leading an effort to support struggling school districts to recruit, hire, and support teachers to meet the needs of the students in those districts.
Nationally, and in Michigan, there is growing concern over the number of teachers entering and leaving the workforce. A consistent challenge that many school districts face is not having teachers in all their classrooms, according to State Superintendent Brian Whiston.
“If a school district doesn’t have enough teachers for their classrooms, it results in large class sizes and students aren’t provided with the kind of focused instruction that will help them learn,” Whiston said.
Ensuring that Michigan has an adequately staffed education workforce requires MDE, local districts, Educator Preparation Institutions, parents and communities to work together as partners.
The strategies the Michigan Department of Education is deploying, in addition to the recommendations for other partners, are articulated in MDE’s Educator Staffing Strategic Plan and span: recruitment into the profession, preparation & certification and staffing & retention.
While these efforts support all schools, MDE is also focusing additional support on the state’s new Partnership Districts – those districts with the lowest-performing schools identified earlier this year – to address any teacher shortages in those districts.
For Partnership Districts, MDE is engaging in on-site technical assistance meetings to discuss workforce challenges and determine ways to address staffing needs, providing flexibilities and helping reach creative long- and short-term solutions; assisting with the development of strategic partnerships between educator preparation providers and schools to develop recruitment pipelines based on schools’ needs; and collaborating with education organizations to coordinate support efforts.
Contact: Martin Ackley, Director of Public and Governmental Affairs 517-241-4395 Agency: Education
LANSING – Thirty-four Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs are sharing $2.85 million in state grants from Governor Rick Snyder’s MiSTEM Advisory Council, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) announced today.
The state Legislature set aside $2.85 million in 2017-18 to distribute grants up to $100,000 for the implementation of STEM programs listed in the STEMworks database. The MiSTEM Advisory Council selected the awardees, whose funding ranges from $24,000 to $100,000, from 134 applications seeking more than $10 million. The applications came from local and intermediate school districts (ISDs), universities, and STEM providers
“STEM education is critically important to a student’s success later in life,” Governor Snyder said. “Thank you to my partners in the state Legislature and the Department of Education for ensuring that more Michigan students will have access to these STEM skills.”
The MiSTEM Advisory Council said in a statement:
“The Council would like to thank the Governor for the leadership and vision to propel STEM education down a new and exciting path. The legislature has stepped up to the challenge and appropriated funds to support this shift in culture, enabling STEM programming around the state to benefit from proven best practices.
“As proud as we may be about this initial success, we are even more encouraged by the widespread potential that will be harnessed and directed toward the further advancement of STEM education for all of the students throughout the state.”
State Superintendent Brian Whiston said the grants’ STEM focus will help Michigan become a Top 10 education state in 10 years – the central goal of the Michigan Department of Education.
The grants align with the Top 10 plan’s goal of implementing high-quality classroom instruction through a child-centered instructional model with a strategy to enable public schools’ students to engage in integrated STEM programming.
In weighing the applications, the MiSTEM Advisory Council considered reviewer ratings, program type, and distribution across the MiSTEM Network Regions.
Two successful applicants, Oakland Schools and West Shore ESD, received multiple awards to provide professional development in regions other than their own. They are using the funding to build on statewide work underway for several years with seed funding from other sources.
Here is the list of 10 ISDs, 10 local districts and three STEM education provider applications selected for funding:
Organization
Region
STEMworks Program
Amount
Lakeview Sch. District (Calhoun)
Region 1 – Southwest Michigan
PLTW
$94,340
Oakland Schools
Region 2 – South Central Michigan
Modeling MS Science – Jackson/Lansing
$100,000
Brighton Area Schools
Region 2 – South Central Michigan
PLTW
$53,007
National Inventors Hall of Fame, Inc.
Region 3 – Wayne County
Camp Invention
$100,000
Wayne RESA
Region 3 – Wayne County
Math Recovery
$62,716
Plymouth-Canton Community Schools
Region 3 – Wayne County
PLTW
$74,339
Detroit Public Schools Community District
Region 3 – Wayne County
A World In Motion® (AWIM)
$97,730
Iridescent
Region 3 – Wayne County
Iridescent
$91,382
Macomb ISD
Region 4 – Macomb County
Math Recovery
$53,737
Oakland Schools
Region 5 – Oakland County
Modeling Biology
$100,000
Oakland Schools
Region 5 – Oakland County
Modeling Chemistry
$100,000
Genesee ISD
Region 6 – Genesee, Lapeer, St. Clair Counties
Math Recovery
$98,406
Shiawassee Regional ESD
Region 7 – Capital Area
Math Recovery
$99,120
Otsego Public Schools
Region 8 – West Michigan
MiSTAR
$34,160
Kent ISD
Region 8 – West Michigan
Math Recovery
$45,675
Oakland Schools
Region 8 – West Michigan
Modeling MS Science – Muskegon
$100,000
Mason County Eastern Schools
Region 9 – West Central Michigan
Cereal City Science
$100,000
Midland Public Schools
Region 10 – Central Michigan
MiSTAR
$88,784
Sanilac ISD
Region 11 – Thumb
Cereal City
$100,000
Oakland Schools
Region 12 – North East Michigan
Modeling Biology – Roscommon
$100,000
Public Schools of Petoskey
Region 13 – North West Michigan
Full Option Science System (FOSS)
$60,185
Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD
Region 14 – Eastern UP
Cereal City Science – elementary
$93,488
Eastern Upper Peninsula ISD
Region 14 – Eastern UP
Cereal City Science – middle school
$82,474
Oakland Schools
Region 15 – Central UP
Modeling Physical Science – Marquette
$100,000
L’Anse Area Schools
Region 16 – Western UP
Engineering is Elementary
$28,119
Public Schools of Calumet, Laurium & Keweenaw
Region 16 – Western UP
Math Recovery
$24,285
Great Lakes Fishery Trust
Statewide
Great Lakes Stewardship Initiative
$99,166
Muskegon Area ISD
Statewide
Math Recovery
$99,960
West Shore Educational Service District
Statewide
AP Computer Science/Computer Science Discoveries
$668,927
(6 applications total)
The Legislature created the MiSTEM Advisory Council in 2015. It’s made up of 11 voting members serving at the pleasure of the Governor and four ex-officio legislators appointed from the House of Representatives and Senate.
TED MEDIA CONTACT: DAVE MURRAY
517-243-7530 | MURRAYD5@MICHIGAN.GOV Monday, Jan. 11, 2018
LANSING, Mich. – Michigan leads the nation in FIRST Robotics teams, and $2.5 million in state grants will help even more students benefit from the experiences of working with professionals and being inspired by seeing real-world applications of STEAM subjects, said Roger Curtis, director of the Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development.
The grants, awarded by the Michigan Department of Education, are part of Gov. Rick Snyder’s continued investment in FIRST Robotics, which has students learning about applications of science, technology, engineering, arts and math through building robots for competitions – with the World Championships headed to Detroit in April.
“FIRST teaches students the skills that prepare them to be successful in the economy of our future,” Gov. Rick Snyder said. “Michigan is already first in FIRST, and these grants will go a long way in ensuring that advanced talent development continues.”
FIRST — For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology — was formed in 1989 to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators, by engaging them in exciting mentor-based programs that build science, engineering, and technology skills that inspire innovation, and foster well-rounded life capabilities, including self-confidence, communication, and leadership.
“We want as many students as possible to have access to great programs like FIRST that will build their interest in STEAM careers,” said Curtis, who serves as co-chair of the FIRST Robotics World Championships Detroit Steering Committee.
“Michigan already has more than 500 FIRST high school teams. When you watch a competition and see the excitement and the partnerships with experts working in the fields, you know you are watching the next generations of our state’s engineers and leaders.”
The $2.5 million was divided between public and non-public schools, with nearly $2.3 million awarded to 423 public schools and $157,700 to 39 non-public schools across the state. Programs received grants ranging from $100 to $9,000 to help grow programs. The list of schools awarded the grants is available on the Education Department’s website.
Michigan has invested $12 million helping schools start and strengthen FIRST teams since 2014.
“FIRST Robotics provides a perfect partnership to bring industry and education together to help students understand and learn the skills needed to land one of the many 21st Century jobs here in Michigan,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said. “Beyond that, FIRST exposes students to multiple career pathways, something critical to creating a Top 10 education system and helps build a robust talent pipeline for the thousands of jobs being created.”
FIRST has been a transformational program for many students and continues to be a leading catalyst for growing student interest in good-paying and high-demand careers currently going unfilled.
Students participating in FIRST programs across the state are two times as likely to major in science or engineering in college, and more than 75 percent of FIRST alumni are currently in a STEM field as a student or professional.
Michigan also has invested in the Square One Education Network and Skills USA, other programs that encourage students to work with mentors and apply real-world skills in competitions.
“We want to lead the world in talent development,” Curtis said. “This investment by the Michigan Department of Education is just another way Michigan is working toward that goal. The grants are a smart investment in Michigan’s continued economic growth.”
Curtis co-chairs the World Championships Detroit Steering Committee with Consumers Energy CEO Patti Poppe and Gail Alpert, president of FIRST Robotics in Michigan.
The World Championships, planned for April 25 through 28, are expected to include nearly 60,000 students and 700 teams to Ford Field and Cobo Center with four levels of competition. Last year, two Michigan teams were part of the winning alliance at the World Championships in St. Louis.