Michigan Book Discusses Limits of Education Reform

The mixed results of decades of education reform in Michigan prove there’s only so much policymakers can do to improve student performance, according to a new book by two school and policy researchers.


Using Michigan as a laboratory, authors Michael Addonizio and Philip Kearney dissect the impacts of reforms to school funding, accountability and choice and conclude “the crucial interaction between students and teachers is often unaffected by state or federal attempts at ‘remote control.’”


... Over its 260 pages that include notes and charts, “Education Reform and the Limits of Policy: Lessons from Michigan” also argues that lawmakers should remember supports to housing, health, income and other social services affect learning as students struggling with those issues at home also struggle in class.


http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20120427/NEWS01/304270027/Author-Education-reforms-overly-optimistic-