Launch Michigan, a collaborative of education, philanthropic, business and other leaders across the state, recently announced its first series of recommendations to improve educational outcomes for Michigan students.
Launch Michigan, a collaborative of education, philanthropic, business and other leaders across the state, recently announced its first series of recommendations to improve educational outcomes for Michigan students.
At a press conference at Novi Woods Elementary, Launch Michigan’s leadership shared their phase one recommendations to the public and urged the state legislature to adopt measures focused on equitable school funding and improving literacy across the state.
The committee released a report that suggests creating an equity fund designed to provide additional funding for students living in poverty or who go to school in geographically isolated regions, which can restrict their access to educational opportunities. The committee also recommends that the fund take a special focus on literacy to ensure Michigan children get what they need to read at grade level.
Further recommendations include a locally-driven plan to show the use and effectiveness of equity fund resources and working at the school, city and state levels to ensure that resources are used in ways that are effective based on each student’s individual needs.
“If any of you are parents, you know that each of your individual children need individual attention and need very specific things,” Tonya Allen, president and CEO, The Skillman Foundation, said. “And equity is really about giving children what they need, not just giving them the same thing.”
Allen serves as co-chair of Launch Michigan alongside Paula Herbart, president, Michigan Education Association and Doug Rothwell, president and CEO, Business Leaders for Michigan. Steering committee members also include CMF trustees Julie Ridenour, president, The Steelcase Foundation and Joe Scantlebury, vice president for program strategy, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, who serves on the committee as CMF’s representative.
“These priorities are going to give us a solid framework for change,” Herbart said in a press release. “From here, we can develop a strong, phased-in approach that will deliver results for all our state’s learners over time.”
The committee will continue to work across sectors to develop further recommendations for the state legislature.
“We’ve not had this kind of table come together where you have labor, business, education advocates, philanthropy, and a whole wide array of other players figuring out what’s the right path forward for Michigan,” Kyle Caldwell, president and CEO, CMF, said in a video shown during the press conference. “Launch [Michigan] has taken a very thoughtful approach to their policy development and making sure that the coalition is ready to move forward in bold ways that are long-term and sustaining.”
“These phase one recommendations are something Launch Michigan will start advocating for immediately,” said Adam Zemke, president, Launch Michigan. “We are also starting our phase two and phase three recommendation work immediately…we will be working on that over the next five and 10 years to transcend political differences in Lansing.”
Watch Launch Michigan’s press conference and read a summary of their recommendations.
