The Educational Achievement Authority, which is responsible for 15 schools in Detroit, is under the jurisdiction of Eastern Michigan University.
The board of EMU, 7 of whose 8 members are appointed by Governor Rick Snyder, refused to close it down, despite years of scandals and poor academic performance.
The children will continue to attend failing schools, under Governor Snyder’s control, because he has not a clue what to do. They are not his children. They are an abstraction to him.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
They might want to look at this part of the EAA experiment:
“The EAA isn’t just controversial because it’s a statewide district — which means the public is not voting on who represents the schools — but it has also implemented numerous reform strategies that have little data to back the decisions up.
For example, the EAA is a technology-centric district using a program called BUZZ, developed by Agilix. BUZZ was created specifically for the EAA, and has never been tested elsewhere. This detail conjures notions of the EAA — a district of the most marginalized and already behind students — being a field test or experiment for tech.”
Dr. Thomas Pedroni of Detroit’s Wayne State University analyzed the results and found that of the students who already lacked proficiency before entering the EAA: “78.3% showed either no progress toward proficiency (44.1%) or actual declines (34.2%). In reading, 58.5% showed either no progress toward proficiency (27.3%) or actual declines (31.2%).”
He then analyzed those who were actually proficient before entering the EAA and found: “During the 2013 administration of the MEAP math test, there were a total of only 56 test-takers who had scored proficient the year before. Of those 56 students, only 10 stayed at the same level of proficiency or improved. That means that 46 of those 56 previously proficient students actually declined—became less proficient.”
http://www.educationdive.com/news/the-eaa-how-a-policy-package-created-michigans-statewide-district/246066/
Reblogged this on David R. Taylor-Thoughts on Education.
Kids are not the only abstraction for Snyder. Common sense seems to be a big abstraction as well. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on what side you are on, he is termed out. However, he can do a lot more damage between now and the end of his term.
Rick Snyder is the nemesis of all of Michigan, education etc etc etc.
Just like the RSD in Louisiana, the EAA was never about educating children. Other entities like this across this country are not set up to help children, they are set up to take away a democratic voice in public education. Sadly, I am not surprised that the EMU members did not vote to shut down the EAA. The takeover plan is working exactly as it’s designed. This is why folks in Georgia and elsewhere better watch up before they get an OSD. RSD, EAA and OSD’s are not set up to help children, they exist to disenfranchise local communities of color.