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Potential Of Michigan Reforms

“Guest commentary: With charter package, Michigan will lead nation in school reform”
Opinion
by Jeb Bush
Detroit Free Press
December 4, 2011

In today’s competitive global economy, it is imperative that every student graduates high school prepared for college or a career. The success of these students will determine the destiny of Michigan and the nation.

Unfortunately, Michigan students are falling behind other states in math and reading, according to the National Assessment for Educational Progress, also called Nation’s Report Card for K-12 students. During the period in which all 50 states have taken these tests, Michigan’s low-income students achieved gains well below the national average. Michigan’s middle- and higher-income students fared no better, also failing to keep pace with the rate of progress nationally.

Michigan children deserve better. A strong embrace of parental choice and new technologies can provide parents with the ability to customize education to meet the needs of the child.

Thanks to the leadership of Gov. Rick Snyder and Michigan legislators including Sen. Pavlov, the state is leading the nation in advancing bold education reform. Reforms currently under consideration in the Legislature —providing more choices and harnessing the power of technology in education—are based on the fundamental belief that all students should have access to a customized education that empowers them to achieve their God-given capacity to learn. And these reforms allow freedom, innovation and competition to reshape the education system around the goal of ensuring student success.

Today, the parents of a quarter of America’s students have chosen schools other than their zoned district school. Various parental choice mechanisms such as open enrollment, magnet schools and charter schools have continued to expand and enjoy broad bipartisan support across the country. Yet, limits on educational choice exist. Such limits hurt the most disadvantaged students – those whose parents cannot afford private school tuition or a home in a high-performing school district.

Knowing that a quality education can change a life, state leaders must empower parents to select the learning environment that best fits their child’s needs. Expanding high-quality options, such as charter schools and digital learning, will ensure each and every student has the opportunity to succeed.

Under Michigan law, universities have authorized public school academies to broaden educational options available to parents. The current law has an arbitrary cap on the number of academies which universities can authorize, which protects the interests of districts rather than those of children. Michigan’s system of university oversight is widely admired across the country, and the students with the fewest options need new schools the most. Lawmakers should open the door for new academies.

Technology has transformed the world we live in. Almost every facet of life has been transformed because of advances in technology – except one of the most important, education. Digital learning has the power to transform education by extending the reach of quality teachers, expanding access to rigorous courses and empowering every student to receive a personalized education that equips them for success beyond high school.

Around the country, innovators are expanding educational options from the school down to the course level. Virtual learning provides the opportunity for students to access advanced and specialized coursework, or personalize their learning based on their interests and needs. Educators can make both advanced placement and remedial coursework available to those students who need and desire them. With this reform package, Michigan’s legislative leaders have the opportunity to leverage the power of technology and give students increased opportunities to learn in their own style, at their own pace, anywhere and anytime.

We can and must update our 19th century model of schooling to meet the challenges of the 21st century. A school system that operates as the equivalent of an 8-track player in an iPod world cannot prepare today’s students for success in college and the global economy. Michigan can lead the way in transforming education and securing future prosperity by embracing these reforms, thereby helping every Michigan student achieve their hopes and dreams.

Jeb Bush is chairman of the Foundation for Excellence in Education and was governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007.