Central States

Michigan has developed a new plan for revamping failing schools by introducing the Education Achievement Authority, a special district slotted specifically for the lowest performing schools in the state. Most educators agree that the new system is effective and necessary for bringing the state’s public school system up to par. However, some are concerned the organization may be overstepping its bounds as it begins to expand the number of schools it serves.

What is the Education Achievement Authority?

According to the Detroit Public Schools website, the Education Achievement Authority (also referred to as the EAA) is a statewide school district for the lowest performing schools in Michigan. The new district takes the schools in the bottom five percent statewide and works to transform them into viable, financially-responsible schools. Once they have achieved this status, the schools can then decide if they want to return to their original school district or remain in the EAA.

The new district functions very differently from the other school districts in Michigan. The administration and staff at each individual school are responsible for hiring teachers, placing them in the best positions, and allocating resources to enhance the learning environment. The district also takes steps to ensure that a larger percentage of taxpayer funding goes directly to the classroom. The system also places greater emphasis on parental support and community involvement to ensure the best possible outcomes for its students.

Students in EAA schools are grouped by skill level, rather than

As discussion continues over how to fix Chicago’s troubled school system, one topic remains conspicuously absent from the equation – the truancy trend in Chicago’s youth. A recent investigative report by the Chicago Tribune found that during the previous school year, 32,000 students in the Chicago school system missed four weeks of class or more. Those statistics have many educators concerned since truancy affects students and schools on many different levels.

This video reports on truancy in the Chicago Schools.

The Impact of School Truancy

According to the Advantage Press, truancy can impact students and communities in a variety of ways. Statistics from the newsletter show:

• A recent sampling of Miami court records showed that nearly three-quarters of prosecuted teens had been truants.
• Two-thirds of teens arrested for truancy have also tested positive for drug usage.
• A large portion of violent crimes in San Diego (44%) occurs during school hours.
• Nearly 10 percent of 15-year-olds are truant at least once a week in this country.
• Minneapolis was able to cut daytime crime by more than two-thirds when police began going after truant students.

There is little doubt that truancy impact both students and communities in many negative ways. However, keeping kids in school can be easier said than done – particularly in areas of extreme poverty where parents are more interested in keeping food on the table than keeping kids in school. In

What would it take for you to complete high school, even if all the odds were against you? Would the promise of a job after graduation entice you to see your high school career through to the end? That is the hope of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has recently proposed a program to inspire Chicago youth to graduate from their city high schools. Some see the proposal as a blatant bribe, while others call it an initiative that could potentially increase the dismal graduation figures that are currently a reality in the city.

The Problem with Chicago Schools

Graduation rates in Chicago Public Schools are dismal indeed, although they have seen the slightest uptick in recent years. The Chicago Tribune reports that during the last academic year, graduation rates stood at just 60.6 percent, which was higher than it had been in previous years. Students in the city have many obstacles getting in their way of education, including a high crime rate in their neighborhoods, low-income families, and many kids with just one parent. Many kids in the Chicago school system are receiving some sort of government help, with a large percentage qualifying for the free or reduced lunch program.

Recently, Chicago Public Schools experienced a 10-day teacher strike after the teachers union and city officials could not come to an easy agreement on contract terms. Some of the concerns voiced by teachers at the time could play a role in

After a seven-day strike hit the public school system in the city of Chicago, things appear to be mostly business as usual once again. Students are back in school. Teachers are back in their classrooms. Both the teachers union and the mayor’s office are declaring at least a partial victory in sticking to their guns and hammering out a compromise both sides can tolerate. While the Chicago teachers strike is over by all visible signs, remnants of this latest labor move may have ramifications nationwide that last for some time to come.

Throughout the summer, negotiations continued between the Chicago Teachers Union and school administrators and the mayor’s office. Mayor Rahm Emanuel was pushing for longer school days, hiring autonomy for principals, and a revamping of the teacher evaluation process. Teachers were looking for better pay increases, job security, smaller classroom sizes, and more services for their students. As the summer negotiations wore on, some were hopeful a strike wouldn’t have to happen. Others voiced fears that a strike was exactly where the teachers union was headed.

This video from the Chicago Teachers Union discusses what was learned from the teachers' strike.

Two Points of Contention

When union delegates finally voted to strike right after the start of the new school year, two key issues remained in the balance. The first was autonomy for principals in the hiring process.

After a summer of intense negotiations, the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools have failed to reach an agreement, resulting in the first strike to hit the city in 25 years. This week, students who had just started into new classrooms for the school year have found themselves with nowhere to go – and parents are scrambling to find safe options for their children during the school day. With one day of the strike already gone, it appears teachers will be on the picket lines for at least another day, as school administrators, union representatives, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel continue to try to work toward a compromise everyone can accept.

The Anatomy of a Teachers’ Strike

The two sides of this conflict have been working for months to try to find a resolution. A fact-finder brought in over the summer in an effort at mediation called the relationship between the two “toxic.” At the crux of the controversy is a wide range of issues, from classroom sizes to school hiring policies. While some of these issues have reached an agreement, many more still appear to be miles away from any sort of compromise.

At the center of the controversy is Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. Before Emanuel even took office, he ran on the campaign platform of reforming Chicago’s troubled school system. According to the Huffington Post, Emanuel worked quickly after moving into the Mayor’s office to allow principals autonomy in the