PIE Network Guest

The Education Trust-Midwest works for the high academic achievement of all students at all levels, pre-kindergarten through college. Its goal is to close the gaps in opportunity and achievement for all children, particularly those from low-income families or who are African American, Latino or American Indian, in Michigan and beyond.

Ed Trust-Midwest is affiliated with the national organization, The Education Trust, based in Washington, D.C. Opened in Michigan in 2010, Ed Trust-Midwest is the second state office of the Ed Trust. 

• Developing and gaining support for a comprehensive teacher quality system at the state level.
• Revealing the lack of political will to improve low-performing schools and finding new political support and pathways to change that.
 

In June, 2011, the Michigan legislature made history by reforming antiquated teacher tenure and other laws that have been powerful barriers to ensuring all Michigan students are taught by effective teachers. The groundbreaking laws also provide a new potential pathway for the development of more consistent and reliable evaluation of educators and improved professional development for our teachers. Many of these legislative reforms follow the recommendations of Ed Trust-Midwest.

The report “Becoming a Leader in Education: An Agenda for Michigan” documents the shockingly low performance of schools statewide. Although Detroit has the weakest scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) among the country’s big cities, other Michigan districts rank even lower on the state-based Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP)—especially when it comes to serving African-American and Latino students. The report urges six critical steps to improve the state’s education system.
 

Amber Arellano
Executive Director

Media contact: Donnell Green
248-854-5297

Twitter: @EdTrustMidwest