Harassment and intimidation complaints in schools spiked after last week’s election, and Michigan officials are pleading with “educators at all levels” to help stop the bullying:
“Our schools must be safe havens for our children – free from hate; free from intimidation; free from bullying; and free from fear.”
— State Superintendent Brian Whiston
The election fallout comes as Michigan political watchers wait to see whether an influential figure in state education policy could join the new Trump administration. Read on for more details and the rest of the week’s education news.
Ed sec speculation hits home
As Donald Trump prepares to become president in January, a powerful — and controversial — figure in state education politics is in the mix as a possible education secretary in the Trump administration.
Republican Betsy DeVos helped lead an unsuccessful push to change the state constitution to allow private school vouchers and has been a strong supporter of school choice programs. She sparked criticism this year when together with other wealthy family members, she flooded state lawmakers with campaign cash as they debated whether to include oversight for charter schools in their Detroit schools legislation. They didn’t.
It could be weeks before we know who Trump will choose, but one prominent native Detroiter whose name had been floated says he’s not interested. And while some say that whoever does get the job won’t have much influence under existing federal law, others in Michigan want the U.S. Education Department shuttered completely.
Other names in the education secretary mix include former Indiana schools chief Tony Bennett and New York City charter school mogul Eva Moskowitz, who said Thursday that she doesn’t want the job. As Trump appears to be considering education reformers, they face a stark choice: serve or steer clear?
Election aftermath
After his statement Monday that lamented the election’s impact on the “actions, demeanor and mood in some of our schools,” state Superintendent Brian Whiston followed up the next day with another message, this time issued jointly with the state’s top civil rights official. They called on “every administrator, teacher, staff member, parent, guardian, bus driver and student” to “stand as one in condemning intolerable conduct regardless of message or motivation.” The second statement also included a list of resources and specific guidance for schools.
That effort came as some parents at a Grosse Pointe school were angered by a unity message broadcast after the election by the school’s Muslim principal. And a Birmingham teacher is under fire for tweets that questioned the values of his largely white students in the wake of the election.
Those incidents, which follow high profile events last week like the viral video of Royal Oak students chanting “build that wall” in a school cafeteria, are part of a growing national tally of post-election bullying and harassment in schools.
It’s not all negative though. Students at this Michigan school created a “wall of positivity.” And these middle schoolers are doing their part to spread unity and kindness.
In Detroit:
- The Detroit News says the new Detroit school board must prove itself. Arguing that “despite a couple of bright spots,” the new board “doesn’t offer a lot of hope for the district’s variability,” the paper urged the board to conduct a nationwide search for a new superintendent. But Interim Superintendent Alycia Meriweather should be an option, the paper wrote: “She’s done well in her role.”
- The success of the Wayne County tax hike vote last week might inspire neighboring counties to seek similar votes in upcoming elections.
- The heads of two prominent local foundations explain why they’re launching a “bold, city-wide engagement to bring the needs of Detroit’s youngest citizens, from birth to age 8, to the forefront.”
- A local after-school program that teaches low-income children to play classical music was honored this week by the White House.
- One advocate says Detroit needs more college pipeline programs.
- The private companies that now run school buses in Detroit have adapted to recent changes and technology.
- A school bus crashed into a manufacturing plant on Detroit’s northwest side, injuring the driver. No kids were on the bus.
- A former Detroit Public Schools CEO has died.
Across the state:
- Without state oversight, dual enrollment programs that are supposed to help students earn free college credits while still in high school are diminishing. While the programs have grown in popularity, not all colleges accept the credits.
- State officials want public input on how best to respond to changes in federal education law and are holding public forums around the state.
- What would it cost to pay Michigan teachers the way we pay doctors? A lot.
- One advocate warns that a teacher pension crisis is looming in Michigan.
- A suburban teacher’s aide pleaded guilty to charges related to sexaul contact with students.
- Police at a suburban high school are investigating whether a student threatened to carry out a school shooting.
- A suburban high school is hosting a “Prep for Success” educational symposium this weekend to help over 1,000 students and their parents get help with study skills, test prep and academic guidance.
From Chalkbeat:
- After a historic election, here’s the pledge we’re making to our readers
- Pumpkin pie with a side of exhaustion: Why late fall is such a tough time to be a teacher
- Plans for tackling Colorado’s preschool suspension problem are coming into focus.
- New York said it wouldn’t change tests for three years. Then it reversed course
- How a Nashville charter network is changing to keep its teachers for the long haul