Study: Michigan schools have big trouble

DETROIT – In the suburbs across Michigan the suburban parents watch the news, see the headlines from school districts like Detroit and Flint and say "how awful" when considering the sad state of educational test scores.

However, a disquieting study called "Not as Good as You Think" by the Pacific Research Institute says those parents should be equally concerned about their own schools. The findings show roughly half of all the schools in the state have entire grades underperforming.

"Many parents think because they've moved into a so-called nice neighborhood with supposedly nice schools they therefore have bought a good education for their children," said the study's author, Lance Izumi.

Izumi doesn't place any blame, he's just showing how students are performing against the national assessment for educational progress. He believes the MEAP test in Michigan is a mixed bag of success. He calls the math test a good one, but the English part below standard.

The state of Michigan is about to abandon the MEAP all together, but that's not likely to change much. That test is merely the measure of what the kids do and don't know. The question becomes what will happen with curriculum?

Izumi is saying there are some things parents need to do. First and foremost: The need to get down to the school house and get over to the school board meetings and start demanding change for the better in their local school houses. The next thing he says they need to do is challenge state legislators to go to work on some creative solutions. He wants to see in Michigan things like what are happening in neighboring states such as Illinois, which offer vouchers or choice in some differing fashion.

"Parents, even middle class ones, not just in low income areas, need to have choices, ya know, in various types of government programs. Charter or Educational Savings Accounts or whatever. We need to have choices for parents so they can break the lock of location, location, location!" said Izumi.

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About the Author:

Rod Meloni is an Emmy Award-winning Business Editor on Local 4 News and a Certified Financial Plannerâ„¢ Professional.