Blow It All Up?

All levels of government, local, county state are subject to the mandates of change and the will of the electorate...Our consitution was not a perfect document and it has been amended numerous time governance is no different...

I don't support the mayorial control of DPS for a number of reasons including lack of demonstrative proof that such a model actually increases academic achievement etc..

With regard to changing the models and protocols for electing public officials. I support term limits, referendums, ballot proposals, recall , all of these options are appropriate in a republic/democracy....

BTW my firm is presently arranging to make a presentation to the DCC( Detroit City Charter Commission) to adopt a threshold changing process for electing public officals..

Stay Tuned for Universal Candidacy!!!!!

Thrasher

There are no magic bullets in education. Politics and governance are not insignificant, but are important mostly as they affect the following, identified by the extensive research of Kenneth Meier (2006:3) of the University of Texas as factors associated with effective schools.

1. Long term stable leadership. The superintendent has either been in the position a long period of time or was hired from within.
2. The school or district has high academic standards, and applies of those standards to everyone regardless of background or disadvantage. One superintendent went so far as to sit in on every teacher interview to make sure that teachers shared his philosophy that all students had to be challenged and that all could succeed. This superintendent simply refused to accept the excuse that student x does very well given x's disadvantaged background.
3. Stable curriculum. Good districts and good schools have a set curriculum and stick with it; they do not chase educational fads. Teachers need to know what will be taught
from one year to next and who is teaching what. Most interesting, it does not appear to matter what the curriculum is, only that it is kept stable. As an illustration, one of the most successful districts in Texas for educating Latino students has an extensive bilingual program and in fact requires students to be bilingual to receive a high school diploma. Another highly successful district with Latino students uses a rapid transition, English as
a second language program that moves students into an English-speaking instructional environment very quickly. These are radically different programs, but they get similar
results. The programs, however, are both long-term, adequately resourced, and have the commitment of teachers and administrators.
4. Hard work. The commitment of teachers and administrators in good schools is readily apparent to anyone visiting these schools. Without magic bullets, educational performance does not come easy. It takes concerted effort of teachers, administrators,
and students.
5. Parental involvement. Education is coproduced good. High levels of parental involvement are necessary to extend the school-based learning to the rest of the student's
environment. One South Texas school district with almost all of its students eligible for free school lunch and well over half the students first generation Americans operates
parent sessions that discuss the expectations for students (home work, when tests will be administered, the availability of financial aid) as well as public health and other important issues. These parent sessions average over 90% attendance.

Kenneth Meier. 2006. The Role of Management and Diversity in Improving Performance of Disadvantaged
Students: An Application of Bum Phillips' Don Shula Rule. 7th Annual Lent Upson Lecture, Wayne State University.