Although researchers have studied the impact of teacher evaluation laws on teachers and administrators, we know very little about how administrators, who assume most of the responsibility for implementing the state-mandated teacher evaluation system, proceed in making use of the evaluation tool their district uses for its performance evaluation…

Practice profiles are a tool used to ensure practices are well-defined so that they can be taught, learned, used, and measured. This brief highlights how the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) engaged systematically and purposefully in the practice profile development process to clearly define Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS), a…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has been increasingly emphasized in educational research and practice for promoting children's wellbeing. Perhaps the most well-known SEL framework is the model provided by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL). This framework has become the dominant framework informing state SEL…

This descriptive case study aimed to understand the perception and needs of Michigan public high school science teachers during the implementation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and subsequent preparedness to teach the content found in the new curriculum. A questionnaire was distributed to science teachers state-wide, with twenty…

This timely book will help policymakers and practitioners convert their visions of high-quality early education into on-the-ground reality by providing a much-needed, richly detailed look at how states can design, fund, and manage exemplary programs. The authors describe and analyze how four states--Michigan, West Virginia, Washington, and North…

The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is one of two multi-state consortia that have built new assessment systems aligned to the Common Core State Standards. The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is composed of 18 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands that have worked together to develop a comprehensive assessment system aligned to the…

The U.S. Department of Education has given Michigan a rare opportunity to devise new educational systems that better serve our state's students, families and educators. In return, Washington has agreed to waive some provisions of No Child Left Behind. For instance, states will no longer have to ensure that all students are proficient in reading…

"Transforming Science Assessment: Systems for Innovation," is a series of resources designed to provide state education leaders with: (1) Information about how states are currently pursuing statewide assessment systems in science; (2) Analyses of what features influence different approaches, with an eye to supporting state leaders as…

The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) in the U.S. Department of Education funded the National Center on Intensive Intervention (NCII, or the Center) in 2011. NCII's mission during the first five years of funding was to build the capacity of local education agencies (LEAs) to support schools, practitioners, and other stakeholders in the…

This article describes findings from a survey completed by 250 K-12th grade teachers from eight states (i.e., Kentucky, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, Delaware, North Carolina, Georgia, and Mississippi) that had fully implemented the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) by spring 2013. The survey was designed to examine teachers' perceptions about…

This article describes the use of standards to guide the reform of a struggling high school in Grant Michigan. The author describes the challenges and obstacles that the school was facing, and admits that school reform was difficult. Turnaround seemed impossible, but it held the promise of something larger than life: successful students who become…

Although many states mandate college preparatory curricula for all high school students, there is no conclusive evidence regarding the benefits of this effort. Furthermore, we know little about how schools interpret and implement such policies. This extended ethnographic case study included a 4 year examination of 1 Michigan high school's response…

In December 2015, President Barack Obama signed the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced No Child Left Behind (NCLB), as the nation's major law governing public schools. ESSA retains the requirement that states test all students in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school, as well as the requirement that…

Objective: This study investigated changes in Michigan school food service directors' farm to school (FTS) participation levels and perspectives since a 2004 survey and factors that would facilitate FTS expansion. Design: Electronic survey census of all Michigan school food service directors. Setting: Michigan kindergarten-12th grade schools.…

Grand Valley State University (GVSU) in conjunction with the Grand Rapids Michigan Public Schools (GRPS) collaborated to implement a Wallace Foundation Grant Program designed to develop urban school leaders. The theoretical constructs of the program were evident in the research on leadership and change. This research formed a basis for the…