Michigan needs transformative education reform, for our economy and for an equitable future for our kids. That was the message shared by business leaders, educators and researchers at last week’s Opportunity for All: 2019 State of Michigan Education Conference hosted in Detroit by The Education Trust-Midwest.

David Meador, vice chairman and chief administrative officer at DTE Energy, a CMF member, served on a panel sharing the urgent call for action from the business community and as a parent.

 “How are we going to grow as a state and economy and be a top ten state to raise a family?” Meador said. “The business community is coming together to say this is fundamental and essential.”

Meador raised the issue of our shrinking workforce, saying that the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) projects there will be more jobs available than people to hire by 2028.

As a parent, Meador has experienced first-hand the challenges parents face in advocating to get appropriate resources for their children.

“It was stunning to me the things they wouldn’t do so it forced us as parents to learn everything we could about special education,” he said.

It led Meador to help create the Autism Alliance of Michigan, an organization that works to expand opportunities for people who have autism.

Michigan’s 2015 Teacher of the Year Melody Arabo said the gaps get bigger for differently abled learners as classrooms have outdated curriculum materials that don’t meet students’ needs.

“We need to really look at what’s happening in the classroom so the biggest factors for student success are the teacher, the student and the instructional materials. We have instructional materials that are not aligned to our standards,”Arabo, an outreach specialist for EdReports.org, said. “Teachers spend an average of 12 hours a week going online and looking for resources, or I was somebody who created them myself. There’s no consistency in that, there’s no coherence from grade to grade.”

What’s working

The improvements and early success at Stocking Elementary School in Grand Rapids was shared at the conference.

Stocking is one of the elementary schools working with the Center for Excellence, Teaching and Learning (CETL), launched by Ed Trust-Midwest in partnership with the Steelcase Foundation. CETL works with educators to better support instructional practice, collaboration and professional development.

Ed Trust-Midwest has shared that in math, Stocking is among top-improving schools in the state. The school’s Latinx students are performing above statewide proficiency levels for fifth-grade math compared to all students statewide.

CETL was modeled after strategies underway in leading education states, such as Tennessee and Massachusetts.

"They show us the way," Amber Arellano, Executive Director, Ed-Trust Midwest, said. "They show us that it's possible to change things, even in five to 10 years, even in states that don't have significant dollars in education."

“My belief is what we do in business often is we benchmark. We figure out who the best is and try to really understand that and emulate it,” Meador said. “I think we should look to the turnaround states and understand how they did what they did and put a comprehensive plan together and stick with it.”

The Steelcase Foundation is involved in Launch Michigan, a diverse, statewide coalition of stakeholders, including CMF, committed to boosting educational excellence for every student and every school throughout our state. Launch Michigan workgroups have been convening and plan to share their findings and work in the coming months.

Want more?

Connect with your peers who are working in this space by joining us for the P-20 Education Affinity Group Convening on February 12.

Learn more about Launch Michigan.