September 16, 2005

Says Education is Critical to State's Economy

LANSING – In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said establishing a rigorous mandatory curriculum for Michigan high school students is critical to the state’s economic future. She also thanked the State Board of Education for moving forward on her call to establish higher standards for Michigan’s high school students.
           
“With Michigan’s economic future on the line, we can’t afford to have our 500 local school districts marching in different directions,” Granholm said.  “Instead, we need a high standard, mandatory curriculum to get all our students on the road to higher education and a good paying job.”
          
 The State Board of Education is scheduled to unveil curriculum recommendations in mid-November.
        
Creating a statewide curriculum is another step toward reaching Granholm’s goal of ensuring that more students are prepared for jobs of the future.  She has called for a doubling in the number of college graduates in Michigan in the next ten years. 

“I believe strongly in putting a degree in the hands of every single child,” Granholm said.  “To do that, we have to improve education at every level in Michigan.  And by doing so, we’ll help prepare our students for success in school, success in college, and we’ll help our economy succeed.”

The Governor noted that states with the highest number of college graduates are also the states with the lowest unemployment rates and strongest economies.  While other states and countries have adopted requirements in critical fields like science and math, Michigan does not require a single course, other than civics, to graduate from high school.  Creating a mandatory curriculum in these critical fields is an essential step in ensuring Michigan is the most well educated state in the nation and an engine for knowledge based job creation.

Earlier this year, Governor Granholm signed legislation that will require high school students, starting with the class of 2008, to take a nationally recognized college entrance exam, such as the ACT or SAT, instead of the MEAP test.  She also proposed increasing funding for K-12 education to record levels.

The Governor’s weekly radio address is released each Friday at 10:00 a.m. and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state through an affiliation with the Michigan Association of Broadcasters.  The address will also be available on the Governor’s Website on Mondays as a podcast for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.
 
Broadcasters Note: Governor Granholm’s radio address can be accessed through Sunday evening exclusively through the Members Only Page of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters website: www.michmab.com.
 
Publishers Note: The text of today’s address is attached.