About this audio file: On Sept. 13, 2006, Angus McBeath, former superintendent of the Edmonton Public Schools, discussed “A Superintendent’s Experience: Choice, Accountability and Performance in Public Schools” at the Mackinac Center’s Issues and Ideas Forum in Lansing. Between 1994 and 2005, McBeath promoted school choice, innovation and competition within the Edmonton schools. The overwhelming success of McBeath’s work has been touted by educators and scholars around the world. The clip is four minutes, 15 seconds long.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
Metro Detroit schools torn on Whitmer’s goal to return to in-person learning March 1
Public schools closed in fall due to surge in COVID-19 cases
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Teachers and volunteers canvassed the streets of Detroit looking for missing students.
The Southfield Public School District, has been 100% since March and while recognizing the importance of bringing students back to their teachers, Dr. Jennifer Martin Green said the science dictates the district remain remote.
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Both districts believe vaccinations are a key part in getting students and teachers back in the classroom safely.
You can watch Paula Tutman’s full story in the video above
Halfway into the school year, Michigan students are failing classes at higher rates, concerning educators who say it’s more evidence of the coronavirus’s disruption of learning.
About 20% of elementary and middle school students and up to 35% of high school students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District failed at least one class in the first quarter. Those rates are about twice the rates of the previous school year, according to district estimates.
Similar grading trends are emerging nationally. In Fairfax County Public Schools in Virginia, the percentage of middle and high school students earning F’s in at least two classes climbed to 11%, up five percentage points from last year. School districts in St. Paul and Salt Lake City are also seeing increases in failure rates.
First 400 Detroit residents vaccinated Wednesday
‘It is so easy to get the shot. It didn’t hurt. I didn’t have a reaction,’
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Meda Chapman, a 77-year-old Detroit resident, was the first of 400 people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the TCF Center.
“Once inside, it went really smooth,” Chapman said. “I filled out my form and kept moving ahead until it was time for me to get the shot.”
Relief could be heard in Chapman’s voice as she recalled getting her first coronavirus dose from the city of Detroit.
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Chapman said it’s the city’s time to move forward.
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Many teachers said the vaccine rollout has been confusing, with too little or bewildering information on about how to go about getting vaccinated. Currently, vaccine demand in Michigan far outpaces supply, overwhelming most county health departments. And while health systems are also providing vaccinations, they face the same supply issues, and many are focused on vaccinating another group that recently became eligible: those 65 and older.
Elizabeth Willoughby is a teacher for the Lakeview Public Schools in St. Clair Shores, in Macomb County. She’s already teaching in-person classes, and said that’s forced her to isolate from friends and family. So she’s eager to get vaccinated.