Special Visitor Today

We were fortunate earlier today to receive a visit from the State Superintendent of Schools, Mike Flanagan. Of course, this was not without significant notice and an element of fanfare.

Mr. Flanagan is trying to visit a different district each month, and this month was GPPSS' turn. He began his day today at Poupard Elementary with a look at Title I program implementation, and then traveled to North HS for a visit to AP classes and to see firsthand the infusion of new classroom technology.

A luncheon was served in Cleminson during his visit at South, complete with musical accompaniment from a string quartet of South students. Another group of students from our Commercial Foods program prepared a great lunch for about 35 attendees, including a majority of the Board of Education. Following the luncheon, Mr. Flanagan visited one of our classrooms before making his final stop at Brownell MS.

During his speech to the luncheon crowd, Mr. Flanagan sang the praises of the district, across all levels. This comes from a man that has directed the most significant changes in K-12 education during my 38 years in education.

Mr. Flanagan was clearly one of the loudest voices behind implementation of the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC). This is the curriculum that takes full effect with the class of 2011, this year's seniors. Across the entire state, standards were raised significantly with the requirement of four years of math, and either Chemistry or Physics among three years of science instruction.

Frankly, those changes weren't that dramatic in a school system like GPPSS. However, for a significant majority of schools state-wide, it was a leap of faith to assume all students could complete this rigorous curriculum.

The purpose behind the changes was no secret. We had to create a more educated workforce in order to attract more business to our state. Long gone were the days of a manufacturing marketplace that could provide a healthy living wage for employees with only a high school education. We needed a stronger talent pool to attract new business.

I remember very well the outcry from many of my colleagues that served as high school principals when the legislation first passed. There was a great deal of doom and gloom, with predictions that our dropout rates would increase significantly. There were also many attempts to "water down" the MMC to make it more achievable.

Mr. Flanagan and few others stood tall against the protest. And the voices of protest were loud and clear--people didn't like the rigor of the new requirements!

Now here was are just a few years later and there are many success stories across the state. Students and teachers have stepped up to meet the challenge. It hasn't been easy, but it is getting done.

Accountability for educators has never been higher and distrust of the system has never been greater. Movies like "Waiting for Superman" don't help. It also doesn't help when we are experiencing such difficult economic times and there is such angst in all of our communities. People want someone to blame, and our schools become an easy target.

As I reflected on today's visit, I couldn't help but think how far we've come in a few short years. Teachers are working harder than ever before, and students are attempting and completing more rigor than ever before. It is a success story, and it was nice to get validation today from one of the principal architects of the change.

All in all, it was an enjoyable and gratifying visit.