September 7, 2007

LANSING - In her weekly radio address, Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today highlighted "early college high schools," innovative new schools that prepare students for good-paying jobs in the health care industry.  The Governor attended the opening of one of the schools this week.

"This fall, we're beginning a great new chapter for Michigan's economic future, and for public education in Michigan -- across the state, we're opening five new schools, that are called ‘early college high schools,'" Granholm said.  "These graduates will have skills that allow them to immediately enter the workforce, and partnerships with health care providers provide a great pipeline to good paying jobs as surgical technicians, or dental hygienists, or nurses or other health care careers."

The governor's weekly radio address is released each Friday morning and may be heard on broadcast stations across the state.  The address is available on the governor's Web site (www.michigan.gov/gov) for download, as is a clip of the quote above.  The radio address is also available as a podcast on the Web site, as well as on iTunes and via RSS feed for general distribution to personal MP3 players and home computers.  Links to the audio files and text of today's address follows.

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm
September 7, 2007

Full Radio Address Audio: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov107_Full_206491_7.mp3
Short Clip: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/gov/Gov107_Quote_206496_7.mp3

Hello, this is Governor Jennifer Granholm

This fall, we're beginning a great new chapter for Michigan's economic future, and for public education in Michigan. Across the state, we're opening five new schools that are called "early college high schools." These new high schools are formed directly in partnership with local hospitals and health care providers. The hospitals help to write the curriculum, and then they hire the kids once they graduate.

Early college high schools are something that students in my generation may never have imagined… but they make so much sense, especially for our kids who need to be prepared for this increasingly competitive global economy.

So following five years of hands-on learning, students at these schools will graduate with a high school diploma and an associates degree or equivalent certification. These graduates will have skills that allow them to immediately enter the workforce.  And partnerships with health care providers provide a great pipeline to good paying jobs as surgical technicians, or dental hygienists, or nurses or other health care careers.

Early college high schools are a new concept that came from recommendations from the Commission on Higher Education and Economic Development - which was led by Lieutenant Governor John Cherry back in 2004. We secured funding for the first round of schools in last year's budget, and in my State of the State address back in February I pointed to them as a sign of great things to come.

And let me tell you - these are a great sign.

Just this past week, I attended the opening of the early college high school in the Genesee Intermediate School district. Others are opening as well… in Detroit, and in Washtenaw, Clare-Gladwin and the Wayne intermediate school districts.

But early college high schools are just one element of this new chapter in education - we're making sure that our schools serve ALL our kids well.

For the first time, our high school seniors have all taken a college entrance exam. And when they received their scores, young people who never thought they were college material suddenly realized they've got a score that will get them into a university or a college.

In June, for the first time, our graduating high school seniors were eligible for the $4,000 Michigan Promise scholarship. This money pays for college or technical training that is critical for good-paying jobs.

And, this fall - for the first time - our entering high school freshman will benefit from rigorous curriculum requirements that ensure that they are prepared to continue their education with college and technical certification. These in Michigan are revolutionary steps!

Together, early college high schools and all the other new educational tools we've put in place will ensure that we have the nation's best educated workforce. This is the way to win the battle for new jobs and a secure economic future.

Thank you for listening.

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