New Ideas?

----------------------------------------------------------------
EDUCATION REFORM GROUP LOOKS TO BRING BACK "LOCAL CONTROL"
----------------------------------------------------------------

DEARBORN, Mich. - A report created by a committee of parents, teachers and students in Dearborn presents the components of an ideal school system based on local control and less government regulation, according to the Dearborn Press and Guide. The 50-member group created the Model District Project and analyzed policy changes that would lead to more local investment in education and minimize the amount of money going to feed state and federal government bureaucracies.

Dearborn Public Schools is planning on sending the completed, 47-page document to legislators and other school districts in hopes of spurring interest in creative reforms. The district also plans to incorporate as many of the ideas as possible into its strategic plan for next year, the Press and Guide reported.

Key suggested changes include bidding for benefits and other services and re-examining the school funding system. The group believes the state and federal government should remain in charge of levying and distributing tax money, but should do so in a more "equitable" way, the Press and Guide reported.

The plan also finds problems with current accountability measures like the No Child Left Behind act, Adequate Yearly Progress, and the Michigan Merit Exam. "There will always be a need for assessment and for government to set general guidelines for objectives," Earnie Oz, a parent and member of the Dearborn Parent Teacher Student Association, told the Press and Guide.

"But as for actual implementation of programs, that should fall to local school districts. Government needs to be active, not dictatorial. In many cases it doesn't provide funding (for mandated programs) and creates a scenario for failure."

______
SOURCE:Dearborn Press and Guide, "Local group delivers report on ideal school district," Oct. 3, 2007
http://www.pressandguide.com/stories/100307/loc_20071003005.shtml