Michael Rice, the new State Superintendent in Michigan, is an experienced educator, not an ideologue or a politician.
His plans are sensible. He wants to steer the state back to responsible policies.
He was most recently Superintendent in Kalamazoo, which has one of the best school systems in the state. Itis terrific not because of its demographics or it’s scores but because of the Kalamazoo Promise, which has brought many students back to the public schools and led to systemwide improvements. The Promise, anonymously funded, guarantees that every high school graduate will receive a full scholarship to college. The longer a student is in the system, the more generous the scholarship.
School reform measures, such as Michigan’s third-grade retention law and the state’s A-F rating system; a statewide push to improve literacy and increase early childhood education; the publication of multiple research papers supporting increased funding for Michigan’s K-12 schools and the precarious future of the teaching profession all have been pushed to the education forefront in the state.
And they are all issues Rice says he is ready to work on.
“I feel differently in 2019,” Rice told The Detroit News in his office in Kalamazoo. “Those issues made me feel it was a moment. A generational moment in the state, and I wanted to contribute to that moment….”
While in Kalamazoo, and with the Kalamazoo Promise in place, Rice started full-day pre-kindergarten, more than doubled the number of students taking Advanced Placement courses and boosted high school graduation rates, school officials said…
Rice becomes superintendent at a critical time for Michigan’s 1.5 million students. Michigan ranks in the bottom third of states for fourth-grade reading, eighth-grade math and college attainment, and it’s 43rd out of 47 in school funding equity.
According to officials at Education Trust-Midwest, Michigan ranks in the bottom third of all states overall in early literacy and among the bottom states for every major group of students: African American, Latino, white, low-income and higher income students. In eighth-grade math, only about 1 in 10 African American students and 2 in 10 Latino students are proficient.
Rice says more spending on public schools is critical, especially to address the chronic underfunding of English language students, poor students and special needs students.
He says he wants to increase pay, benefits and professional development for teachers. New data from the National Education Association found the average salary for Michigan teachers declined last year, continuing the 12% decline over the last decade when adjusted for inflation. Only Indiana, West Virginia and Wisconsin have had worse declines in teacher pay.
Starting teacher salaries in Michigan rank 32nd in the nation, according to the report. Nationwide, 37% of districts have a starting salary of at least $40,000. In Michigan, only 12% of districts meet that threshold, according to the data.
“It is an existential moment for the profession and the profession of public education in the state of Michigan,” Rice said. “As goes the teaching profession so goes public education in the state.”
Rice opposes the “punitive” retention requirements of the state’s third-grade reading laws and the dual accountability system created when state lawmakers passed the A-F grading system during the lame duck session in December.
There is hope for Michigan.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I’ve known Michael since the 1980s. Good choice Michigan! I hope state politicians support him.
It is interesting that some of the best ideas come from those that served in public education before the “reform” era. The older members of the education community understand the inherent value of supported public education, and they believe in democracy. They have also witnessed in inhumane market based agenda of the past twenty years that have harmed students, public schools and communities. Monetized education promotes inequality, and it has offered no meaningful benefit except for a few students that have survived in selective private charter schools. Separate is never equal. The cost has been far too great for such a small return. It has managed to hoover millions out of public education and into private pockets. Privatization is costly, wasteful distraction for no benefit.
It is encouraging to hear his hope and direction!
Kalamazoo is a great little city. They’re really innovative but not in a quick-fix or gimmicky way. It’s in DeVos’ neck of the woods so it’s interesting she never talks about them when she’s complaining that no one ever tries anything or experiments. Obviously not true, that no one ever tries anything outside of the ed reform echo chamber she inhabits, but this is her constant, endlessly repeated grim refrain.
The K initiatives don’t meet her ideological requirements so they’re banished from consideration. It has to come with the ideologically correct seal of approval from the Walton heirs or it’s not worth discussing.
Rice said he would like to visit a Detroit school.
“It is our largest city, the largest number of young people in public education,” Rice said. “We have not well served our young people in Detroit over the last two decades, and I’m looking forward to being an ally in improving public education in Detroit.”
An ally. Imagine that.
The switch in Michigan is partly due to the fact that the state’s voters fired a lot of ed reformers who were in public office- they lost elections- but I think it’s bigger than that in the Great Lakes states because Ohio didn’t switch from R to D and Ohio is also quietly refocusing on public schools. There has been more discussion about the states PUBLIC schools in Ohio in the last year than I have heard in the last ten. Something changed and it wasn’t purely political. I hope there was a recognition that they were neglecting to work on the states PUBLIC schools, and that eventually got through to them, whether they are R’s or D’s.
“There is hope for Michigan” until the next election and ALEC member Besty the Brainless and her partners in vampire crime that also belong to ALEC will spend HUGE sums of money to defeat Rice and replace him with one of their human malignant viruses that worships at the altar of avarice.
That means Rice and his supporters, to have a chance to overcome the misinformation war coming funded by billionaires, will have to start campaigning today and every day and never stop knocking on doors.
I wonder how many doors they will have to knock on every day to beat the odds of greed, corruption and what dirty money buys vs truth and honesty.
You have to wonder about the opportunity cost of 20 solid years of lock-step ed reform and only ONE approach being promoted. How many solid school districts are there where they’re doing something different OTHER than an exclusive focus on charters and vouchers and how much did we lose by excluding them and allowing the echo chamber to so dominate policy that no other approach than the one they prefer is even considered?
This is why who the eventual Democratic nominee HIRES is more important than what they say. If they hire from the echo chamber we will get the same. I’m sometimes afraid there is no one in federal K-12 policy who is outside the echo chamber. That they so successfully created a “pipeline” of fellow travelers that there is no one coming up outside it. Because the policy lock creates an incentive to be an ed reformer. If the only way to get hired is to recite the approved slogans people will recite the slogans. It’s self-selecting.
Lots of numerology in the post.
I think your intuition is correct Diane. I have known Michael for a long time, and he has a long background of authentic support and leadership of public schools. You could say that his varied experiences and a proven record and commitment to equity and inclusivity prepared him for leading at the state level. Indeed, he will face major challenges, especialy from an obstinate state legislature, but deserves support from all of us as he addresses to repairing a generation of bad state policy. Bringing his local frame of references should assure all of us who believe in democracy that educator, parent and community voices will be heard. A really good choice Diane
scariest words: a GENERATION of bad state policy
I am sorry, but Kalamazoo schools are not the best in the state. They have real problems of generational poverty and the schools are woefully underfunded. My daughter is a speech therapist there and comes home many days frustrated with the lack of resources and the problems these young kids bring to school. The Kalamazoo Promise is a great program and is making a difference. But more kids there need to be able to graduate and be successful in college once they are there. Michael Rice may be able to make a difference, but it will be an uphill battle given the legislators in our state.
People should also pay attention to Benton Harbor where our new democratic governor wants to close down the high school. It has so many problems, but some really good kids. https://www.bridgemi.com/talent-education/anguish-benton-harbor-years-mistakes-lead-schools-likely-demise?utm_source=Bridge+Magazine&utm_campaign=6a811381cb-Bridge+Newsletter+week+in+review+6%2F9%2F19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c64a28dd5a-6a811381cb-73878793
Hope this link works??
Agree that Benton Harbor Pubic School is the place to watch. It’s a confluence of entrenched racism, poverty, segregation, power, minorities, choice and gentrification. And also agree that the kids are great. There other middle sized school districts waiting to happen that will face Michael when he walks through the door. He will also have to create a mess that the governor created in BH.
CJ, the key sentence in your comment is: “They have real problems of generational poverty and the schools are woefully underfunded.”
Throwing the public schools in front of a moving Abrams Tank and replacing them with vouchers and/or corporate charter schools that have no accountability is not going to deal with the “real problems of generational poverty” and if you think those public schools are “woefully underfunded”, wait until the greedy frauds taht run many if not most of the virtual and brick and mortar charter schools and take vouchers cut back how much is spent in the classroom even more so they can steal the public money and build a fortune or increase a fortune they already have.
I am not saying you advocate throwing the REAL public schools in front of a moving Abrams tank … but in your comment, you offer no solutions.
What are the solutions to deal with generational poverty and underfunded schools — the answer is not replacing REAL public schools with private sector virtual and/or brick and mortar corporate charter schools?
And anyone who knows the history of this issue already knows the answer to my question in my comment.
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