July 27, 2010
LANSING - Michigan is committed to implementing the rigorous education reforms signed into law earlier this year despite not being named a finalist in the second round of the federal Race to the Top initiative.
"We are disappointed that Michigan's efforts to strengthen our public schools and ensure that every child is successful were not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "We felt our strong application effectively detailed our efforts to improve instruction and student performance and had extraordinary support from local school districts and the labor unions."
The application received extensive and broad support from local school boards, superintendents, principals, and teacher unions. The state's application was supported by nearly 87 percent of local school districts, with 737 traditional districts and Public School Academies signing Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to participate and be eligible for funding, if Michigan had been chosen for a Race to the Top award.
The application outlined the state's plan to use nearly $400 million in federal funds to help implement critical school reforms to improve instruction and enhance transparency and accountability.
The foundation of the state's Race to the Top application was 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 and administrators whose students are not showing academic improvement over time; expand quality charter schools; align curriculum and assessments with new common core standards; and provide alternate routes to teacher and administrator certification.
"We are in the process of implementing those reforms and we are committed to moving Michigan schools forward to give every child in Michigan the highest quality education and prepare them for the jobs of the 21st Century," said state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan.
Flanagan said the Michigan Department of Education will analyze the feedback from the federal grant reviewers before commenting on why Michigan's application was not chosen in the second round of funding.
"It would have been helpful to get a Race to the Top grant, but we have a lot of work to do here to implement our new reform laws," Flanagan said, "and we are moving forward."
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