Michigan's Race to the Top Application Secures All Three Key Signatures

May 11, 2010

LANSING - Michigan's federal Race to the Top application for Round Two was signed today by all three of the required state officials: Governor Jennifer M. Granholm, state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan, and State Board of Education President Kathleen N. Straus.
 
The application, which received on Monday the unprecedented endorsements from all of the key education stakeholders, now awaits the signed support documents (Memoranda of Understanding) from local school districts across Michigan. Those are due to the state by May 21.
 
"This is truly historic," said Flanagan. "We have broad consensus agreement from all of the interest groups, who really helped develop this application. We are so farther ahead with a quality application than we were in the first round."
 
The second round application's theme is: Accelerate Michigan, and focuses on improving student achievement and closing the achievement gap.
 
The foundation of the state's Race to the Top application is the state's new education reform laws enacted in January. Those new laws provide a statewide structure to turn around low-performing schools; improve instruction by providing supports to teachers whose students are not showing academic improvement over time; expanding quality charter schools; aligning curriculum standards and assessments with a planned national common core curriculum; and providing alternate routes to teacher certification.
 
"The fact that we have reform in this application is critical, as well as local buy-in" Straus said. "It's really impressive what was done this time."
 
Flanagan praised the collaborative and diligent efforts put in by the staff at the Michigan Department of Education, working with the broad spectrum of education stakeholders, along with the expert assistance of the education policy offices at Michigan State University.
 
Once the state receives the completed support documents on May 21, it will submit the completed Race to the Top application to the U.S. Department of Education on May 27 - meeting the June 1 deadline.