Lansing — Public school districts across the state could provide students with alternative “innovative programs” that prioritize career and technical education, internships, apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities under legislation approved Wednesday by the Michigan House.
The bipartisan two-bill package, backed by Republican former Gov. Rick Snyder, passed unanimously through the House, 107-0.
While some schools already have those options available, the legislation would cement the voluntary offerings in a law that would allow for seat-time waivers that mandate how long a student must sit at a desk in a traditional learning environment.
“The world that we’re going into is going to be more than academics,” Snyder told lawmakers last month. “It’s going to be about critical thinking. It’s going to be about teamwork. It’s going to be about communications and academics. And what this innovative measure would do is allow the combination of those life skills with those academic skills in a way that isn’t currently very practical.”
The programs are meant to provide a more hands-on approach to learning, not just content, but the application of that content in real-world situations. The programs, under the legislation, must provide opportunities to learn and practice 21st century skills, such as problem-solving, critical thinking, communication, creativity and collaboration, according to the legislation.
“We shouldn’t be focused on getting from 43rd to 37th in the obsolete system,” said Doug Ross, a former state senator and charter school administrator who championed the bills alongside Snyder. “Getting better at what no longer is relevant is sort of a fool’s task. We need to be the place where America invents public education for the 21st Century.”
Members of The Future of Learning Council, which includes more than 85 Michigan school districts, testified in support of the program. The Michigan Department of Education and several business groups also testified in support.
The legislation, introduced last month by state Reps. Nancy DeBoer, R-Holland, and Jimmie Wilson Jr., D-Ypsilanti, would allow traditional public school districts, intermediate school districts and charter schools to establish a “public innovative program” that would be tailored to unique needs, interests or learning styles.
DeBoer described the legislation as providing an “incubator-type environment” for improving instructional options that benefited students and the state economy.
“Michigan’s public schools are graduating far too many students who never go on to higher education but also don’t learn a trade, vocation or join our armed forces, despite a high demand for many professions,” DeBoer said. “This legislation seeks to start us on a path to change that.”
Snyder, last month, referenced a few different districts offering programs like the ones envisioned under the current legislation.
In the Anchor Bay school district in Macomb and St. Clair counties, he noted, the high school has different wings dedicated to engineering, arts and communication, business and health and human services.
The Concord Community School District in Jackson County has a hydroponics program used by students to grow lettuce and herbs for the cafeteria, he said.
And in the Upper Peninsula, Snyder said, some schools combine geometry with carpentry.
The exact public innovative programs offered and how they would meet the academic competencies required of all Michigan students under the Michigan Merit Curriculum would need to be approved by the Michigan Department of Education, according to the legislation. The state education department could waive certain curriculum mandates or school year calendar requirements if needed for the public innovative program to operate.
Under the legislation, any school district’s proposed innovative program would need to include a written plan describing the program’s goals and instructional approach; how it will still ensure students meet core academic standards; a process for creating quarterly progress reports; and a description of how the program will monitor student safety and participation.
A district’s proposed plan must include a statement of commitment from the school board and the teachers’ union, where applicable, in the district where the program would be established.
The Michigan Department of Education’s approval of a public innovative program would remain valid for four years, but could be subject to revocation if not operating as intended. The legislation also requires annual reporting to the department on the number of students enrolled and outcomes.
Dan Behm, executive director of Education Advocates of West Michigan, said the innovative programs seek to strike the right balance of content and skills students will need as adults.
“We pour all this content in and teachers feel this pressure to cover, cover, cover, cover content,” Behm said, “and there isn’t this space to practice again what adults do and that’s where kids come alive.”
eleblanc@detroitnews.com
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Michigan House OKs Snyder-backed ‘innovative’ programs for public schools
Reporting by Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News | USA TODAY Network
