A new report from the advocacy organization The Education Trust-Midwest (ETM) has raised alarm over the lack of governmental oversight of Michigan’s charter school authorizers. The report, entitled Accountability for All: The Broken Promise of Michigan’s Charter Sector, scrutinized the performance of the state’s largest charter authorizers and determined that many of them are failing …
Earlier this year, Michigan’s application for the Charter Schools Program State Educational Agencies (SEA) Grant was rejected. In a previous piece, the Governance & Finance Blog explored the low ratings Michigan received on their application, particularly in the area of Authorizer Accountability. To gain a better understanding of the work that Michigan charter school authorizers …
On September 28, the U.S. Department of Education announced the 2015 winners of the Charter Schools Program (CSP) State Educational Agencies (SEA) Grant. Eight states will be awarded a total of $125 million to develop new charter schools and evaluate their effects. Michigan was not among those chosen for the grant. The state’s request for …
Call for a Moratorium on New Charters In an address to the Michigan Legislature on Thursday, March 5th, Michigan State Superintendent Mike Flanagan called for a moratorium on new charters schools in Michigan, saying, “There’s enough (charters) now to give appropriate choice to parents.” Amidst an ongoing debate about the role of charters in the …