CMF members recently gathered in Lansing to learn about Launch Michigan - the new statewide coalition of diverse organizations working together in support of improving student outcomes. The effort is an historic alliance of more than 35 organizations from business, labor, education, philanthropic and state and community leadership partnering around a shared commitment to boost educational excellence for every student, every school and our state, with the goal of ultimately elevating Michigan to the top 10 in the country for education.

“Education is not a partisan issue,” said Paula Herbart, president, Michigan Education Association, representing 140,000 of the state’s teachers, education support professionals and higher education employees. “We are 100 percent committed and proud to be part of this effort to help front-line educators who are experts at teaching and learning provide answers and inform this partnership about what’s needed to help every student learn and succeed, regardless of the zip code they live in.”

The CMF Board of Trustees approved a resolution identifying CMF as a Launch Michigan partner organization at their June 11, 2018 meeting. Tonya Allen, president and CEO of the Skillman Foundation and CMF Trustee, spoke at the press conference announcing the coalition.

“This collaboration provides a platform for Michigan’s philanthropic community to get behind,” she shared. “If we provide equitable opportunity through our state’s education system, we can produce equitable outcomes and a prosperous future for all. To do so, we must put politics aside and work together to effectively serve children in every corner of our state.”

On June 27, over 30 CMF members gathered in a convening hosted by CMF's P-20 education affinity group to discuss the partnership's work and opportunities for their involvement.

Amber Arellano of Education Trust Midwest and Jen Nelson of Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), two of the Launch Michigan partner organizations, joined Debbie McKeon, senior VP of member services for CMF, in providing an overview of the initiative and framework for the coalition.

“We know that the most effective way for our state to boost the short and long-term wellbeing of its people is to invest in improvements in education,” Arellano has stated. “This new partnership can make a big difference in advancing the pursuit of educational excellence and equity for all Michigan students, and can be a tremendous resource in 2019 when our state has a new governor and many new state lawmakers.”

BLM president and CEO Doug Rothwell agrees. “Robust public education is essential for thriving economies, creating opportunities for everyone and for Michigan companies to fulfill their wishes for hiring top homegrown talent. This work is critical to Michigan being a place that we can all live, work, raise a family and call home.”

Attendees at CMF’s June convening engaged in a deep dive into the Launch Michigan focus areas:

• Listening to and supporting educators, including leveraging existing research and conducting a statewide educator engagement survey. Participants discussed the importance of understanding what teachers need to be successful, knowing that teacher preparedness and school leadership are two of the most significant indicators of student success.

• Supporting shared, statewide, research-driven strategies for delivering effective education that serves all students and sticking to those strategies beyond election cycles. One of the key strategies highlighted at the convening was a focus on literacy, particularly third grade reading, as a critical issue for improving student outcomes, building off a February 2018 discussion among P-20 affinity group members.

• Supporting a fair and comprehensive accountability system that includes everyone who influences education - not just teachers. Conversation focused on how education stakeholders should be held accountable for student outcomes and how to ensure the right things are being assessed. 

• Elevating public awareness about the current state of education in Michigan and the need for immediate and collective action to improve it. There was dialogue about the need for broader engagement to get input from those involved and impacted by this work, along with tools and strategies to support awareness-building efforts.

Next steps for Launch Michigan have been broken into three phases:

• Phase 1 (Summer 2018): Launch work groups; develop principles.

• Phase 2 (Fall 2018 – 2019): Develop blueprint recommendations.

• Phase 3 (2019 – 2020): Go deeper on equity; analyze and collectively evaluate proposals.

Interested in joining the partnership? You’re encouraged to get involved, particularly now while Launch Michigan is in the beginning stages of its formation. At CMF, we recognized the opportunity to represent members at the table during these early, critical conversations. We hope you will become an active participant alongside us and the 30+ Launch Michigan partners. Please contact Launch Michigan to get started and to learn more.

Discussion about Launch Michigan will continue at the CMF 46th Annual Conference in October 2018 with a session hosted by the P-20 education affinity group.

Want more?

Visit the newly launched official website for Launch Michigan.

Read the Launch Michigan FAQs.