The Political Mess around Michigan Governor Snyder’s “Turnarounds” for Struggling Schools
There is a political mess in Michigan around the performance and the role of Governor Rick Snyder’s Education Achievement Authority (EAA). The EAA was intended by the Governor to function like the Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) that took over many so called “failing” schools in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and then was expanded to take over struggling schools across the state. (Its primary role has been to privatize schools in New Orleans.) As bits and pieces of news filter out of Michigan, it’s hard to piece together what is happening. This is my attempt to connect at least some of the dots.
Michigan’s Governor Snyder created the EAA as an independent agency in 2011 to take over Michigan’s lowest performing schools, those whose test scores fall in the bottom 5 percent. Currently the EAA operates as a partnership of the Detroit Pubic Schools and Eastern Michigan University (EMU), although the EAA is unpopular at EMU. The latest massive rally against the arrangement by students and faculty at EMU took place only yesterday, February 20. The EAA currently runs 15 of Detroit’s lowest performing schools.
Michigan’s general assembly has been unable to agree on legislation to expand the EAA beyond the current arrangement involving Detroit and EMU. According to the Detroit News, a bill currently being considered by the House would establish the EAA as a freestanding school district and expand the EAA’s management to 50 schools across the state. The bill would cap