LWVKA 2008 State Board of Education

Candidates were asked to summarize their backgrounds in 75 words and were allotted 75 words to answer each question. If the candidate did not reply by the required date for publication, the words, “Did not respond in time for publication” appear under the candidate’s name.

1. Parents recognize that a high school diploma alone is insufficient to meet the demands of a changing economy. What role, if any, should the Board of Education have in promoting and ensuring that Michigan students have the skills to be successful in the 21st century?

2. What long term evaluation plans should be in place to assess the results arising from the implementation of the more rigorous high school graduation requirements?

3. What measures should be taken to encourage the development of qualified Mathematics and Science teachers and to encourage young students to enter these fields?

Scott Jenkins
Republican

Scott Jenkins has worked for over 15 years for both the state and federal government, culminating his public sector work as a Deputy Assistant Secretary at the United States Department of Education. Recently, he led a comprehensive school district renewal initiative, working with the Pontiac School District Board of Education. He is a member of Rotary and the Williamston Schools Foundation. He is married with two teenage children enrolled in the Williamston School District.

1. Research has shown that opinion leaders need to work much harder to convince Michigan parents that education past high school is necessary for students to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive economy. The state board should lead public opinion on this very important issue. Providing parents and educators with the clear evidence to support college and career readiness of students is one way the board can help.

2. The Board should be looking at student and school data from elementary and middle schools to make sure that students are on an educational trajectory to meet the increased demands of the new curriculum. Students who are falling behind should be provided academic supports and tutoring to keep them on pace to succeed. Teachers should be provided professional development and instructional tools to make sure that teaching is clear and expectations are met.

3. Michigan must now begin to support real alternative certification to recruit and retain nontraditional candidates into the classroom. Mathematicians, chemists, automotive engineers, accountants and others from the downsized automotive industry should be recruited and trained to provide high quality instruction. Real life examples of how math and science can be used in business and industry will inspire students to enter these fields.

Richard Zeile
Republican

Raised 4 children in NW Detroit. “Dr. Z” has taught & administered Detroit-area parochial and charter schools for 25 years, helping organize Old Redford Academy, and serving as president of Woodward Academy, noted Detroit charter schools. Education: U of M. (MA), WSU (Ed.Spec.), an MTS Harvard, a Doctor of Ministry Ecumenical T.S. Worked for the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative, and has written journal articles on charter school law & school choice, published curricula and devotional writings.

1. The State Board should be primarily concerned with student skills as demonstrated on standardized tests and other objective criteria. The skills to be successful in the 21st century are those which ensured success in the 19th century to Henry Ford. These include reading, written expression, arithmetic, underpinned by moral character formation. These skills are manifest in the ability to listen and follow directions. These are the skills, lacking which, lead to failure both in school …

2. Long term evaluation plans of high school requirements should include a permanent electronic data base of all students in the state with complete history of test scores both standardized and criterion-referenced. Follow up random testing of adults will assess skill retention and garner graduates’ own assessment of the usefulness of the training and skills. Reliable studies need to be done on the relationship of workplace skills and scholastic training.

3. As in colleges, elementary and secondary schools may have to pay more for skills and certifications that are rare. Scholarships may be earmarked for mathematics and science majors which will help such graduates financially and add prestige to degrees to these areas. These may take the form of loan deferment/forgiveness for those who teach in these fields.

John Austin
Democrat

John Austin is Vice-President of the Michigan State Board of Education, and director of the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan. In recent years he serves as the Policy Director for the Cherry Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth. John and his wife of 21 years Terese live in Ann Arbor, and have three children. Has a Masters in Public Administration, Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government, and BA, Swarthmore College. http://www.austinforstateboard.com/index.php

1. The State Board has developed and Michigan has made law the common, high learning expectations which reflect exactly the competencies needed for both college, technical training and the workplace. The State Board will continue to promote high school reform so our schools are smaller, more engaging and relevant for all students—and able to help them meet and exceed our learning expectations.

2. The evaluation of these reforms—is in the results they produce. We will be able to track and see more students taking the ACT (now part of their high school Michigan Merit Exam), their scores going up, and more going on to postsecondary education. We will see fewer, not more dropouts, as our schools engage our students with high expectations for learning, and they see the possibility of college

3. The State Board of Education, under our leadership, has recently made reforms that require our teacher preparation institutions to prepare math and science instructors more rigorously, at all levels of our K-12 learning system—so they are able to excite the next generation of math and science learners. We are also expanding science, math and technology education at all levels; helping our current teachers learn how to deliver this content in fun and challenging ways.

Kathleen Straus
Democrat

State Board, two terms. Experience: Staff Director, State Senate Education Committee; Associate Director, Government Relations, Michigan Assn. Of School Boards; President, Center for Creative Studies; Director, Detroit Model Neighborhood Agency, Community Renewal Program; Director, Social Services, SEMCOG; President, League of Women Voters of Detroit; Board Member, LWV of Michigan; Economist, U.S. Treasury Department, Federal Reserve Bank of N.Y.; Junior High Teacher. BA Hunter College; graduate studies at U of M, Columbia and American Universities. Mother and grandmother.

1. As a member of the State Board I have worked very hard to increase academic standards at all levels of the education system. The new high school curriculum is a prime example. Some have questioned the increased math and science requirements, but research indicates students need the same knowledge—Math (Algebra I & II) and science—to enter college or the workforce. The Board should continue to promote strong academic standards.

2. Ongoing assessment of the more rigorous high school graduation requirements is important. There are a number of areas we can look at in addition to the statewide standardized tests to see if students are succeeding. We can look at increases in ACT scores and changes in high school drop-out rates. We can try to assess if students are better prepared for college by looking at how many complete their first year.

3. Developing good math and science teachers starts in elementary school. If students are excited about the subjects, have fun, and see science and math in the everyday world, we have a better chance of developing future teachers in those areas. The State Board should continue to work with Teacher Preparation Institutions to change the way elementary school teachers are prepared. We also need to think of incentives such as loan forgiveness to encourage more teachers.

Bill Hall
Libertarian

Attorney/partner in Warner Norcross & Judd, one of Michigan’s largest private law firms, specializing in real estate and election law. More than 25 years experience with Warner Norcross advising individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. Managed my firm’s Real Estate Services Group for more than 10 years—approximately 40 attorneys/paralegals. Boy Scout leader more than 14 years. Honors graduate of Northwestern University School of Law and Wabash College. Listed in The Best Lawyers in America.

1. Make traditional schools improve or close, by fostering more competition—eliminate all regulation of private and home schools, eliminate caps on numbers of charter schools, and limit regulation of charter schools to those absolutely necessary to track public funding. Promote local control of schools by school boards, parents and taxpayers, and encourage the choice and diversity that result, by eliminating state mandates and freeing them to experiment with academic programs that work best for them.

2. I would eliminate state-mandated graduation requirements. As the people who know, and care the most, local school boards, parents and taxpayers should be free to educate their children as they see fit. The state has no superior knowledge in this respect.

3. Mathematics and Science instruction are casualties of the states overemphasis on funding administrators, sports programs, and other non-academic programs, to the detriment of what are important—academic programs designed to provide a vigorous foundation in educational basics. We should be funding teachers, not administrators and coaches. We should be funding classrooms and laboratories, not administrative offices and athletic facilities.

Jeff A. Steinport
Libertarian
Did not respond in time for publication.

Karen Adams
US Taxpayers
Did not respond in time for publication.

Gail M. Graeser
US Taxpayers
Did not respond in time for publication.

Dwain Reynolds III
Green

I grew up in the small town of Middleville, MI where I attended the Thornapple Kellogg school district (2004 graduate). Currently I am working as a day care teacher for school age kids and am attending WMU in order to obtain my degree in Secondary Education with a major in U.S. History and a minor in Geography.

1. The Board of Education needs to create an egalitarian, multicultural, multilingual, class-conscious, comprehensive K-12 curriculum that accommodates the wide range of teaching and learning styles. With the inclusion of mandatory vocational and fine arts courses at all levels (in order to create well rounded students). Along with the Mandatory reduction of class sizes to no larger than 20 students per teacher; also updating of all school textbooks and other learning-related materials every three years.

2. Newly rebuilt school boards (containing students, parents, teachers, school workers, and community members) will build a “questionnaire”. Given every two years to students, teachers, alumni, and members of the community (non-mandatory) in order to evaluate different aspects of the school and make sure current and future needs are meet.

3. Free, quality and universal public education, from pre-kindergarten through post-graduate studies, including open admissions with the abolition of tuition and fees at all public universities. Will make it possible for students wishing to become math and science teachers the ability to do so; while also granting everyone the ability to obtain the career in which they desire.