On Wednesday of this past week, news broke that State Superintendent Mike Flanagan was ending a 15-year exclusivity contract with the Governor Rick Snyder’s failed experiment with Detroit children known as the Education Achievement Authority. The contract specified that the State School Reform/Redesign District (SSRRD) would only place “low performing” schools in the EAA. By ending that part of the […]

As faculty and students at Eastern Michigan University gather at a rally today to urge their Board of Regents to sever their educational institution’s relationship with Governor Snyder’s failed Educational Achievement Authority experiment in Detroit, lawmakers in Lansing are whipping votes to pass legislation that will expand it statewide and codify it into law. Yesterday’s bombshell news that State Superintendent […]

NOTE: My reporting on the Education Achievement Authority involves multiple posts. You can read all of my coverage of the EAA by clicking HERE. One of the questions that I have asked during the course of my reporting on Governor Snyder’s Education Achievement Authority (EAA) is, “Why would you create something that seems designed to fail?” One answer is that […]

Residents of Coldwater in Branch County braved the frigid temperatures last Friday to let voters of their town know a bit about their U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg. At a time when all eyes are on education, especially here in Michigan, these hearty souls wanted to draw attention to Walberg’s failed record of support for Head Start. The even took place […]

NOTE: My reporting on the Education Achievement Authority involves multiple posts. You can read all of my coverage of the EAA by clicking HERE. In the course of my reporting on Governor Rick Snyder’s Education Achievement Authority (you can read all of the posts HERE), one thing has become abundantly clear: the EAA administration has intentionally created a culture of […]

As technology has evolved to the level of mobile computing and web-based apps, the popularity of educational technology has soared. Demands for workshops on apps, interactive whiteboards, and mobile devices has never been greater; however, the classic model of professional development for teachers has not been able to keep up. Sending teachers to a specific place at a specific time to learn in […]

It’s not “Our way or the highway”, it’s “How about this BETTER way?” In response to my exposé of mistreatment of students in the Education Achievement Authority, EAA spokesperson Terry Abbott, a former Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Education and Deputy Commissioner for Communications at the U.S. Social Security Administration in George W. Bush’s administration, attacked my […]

Today appears to be Education Day for Democrat Mark Schauer. First, he scored a coveted endorsement from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Michigan union which represents 35,000 members across the state. According to the Schauer campaign, “AFT Michigan is endorsing Schauer for his strong record of supporting public education, and commitment to reversing Gov. Rick Snyder’s cuts to Michigan’s […]

Across the nation, many classrooms, schools, and districts are going 1:1. Though a 1:1 program might look different from place to place, they all have at least one thing in common: every student gets their own computing device. In some cases, students receive a laptop computer while others get tablets. Regardless of the device issued to students, 1:1 programs are […]

As the 2014 Michigan Teacher of the Year, it has been an awesome opportunity thus far to serve the state of Michigan, my school and district, and all the educators and students around the state. I have had the opportunity to travel around the state to visit schools, learn together with other educators, and meet with policymakers to support student […]

Educators provide insight on teacher evaluation to members of the Michigan House Education Committee Gary Abud, Jr. is the 2013-14 Michigan Teacher of the Year Teacher evaluation is a topic that has received a lot of attention in 2013. Earlier this year, the Michigan Council for Educator Effectiveness (MCEE) offered their recommendations and findings in a commissioned project on teacher […]