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U.S.
Education
Secretary
Visits
Detroit
Schools
with
Governor
Snyder
By Karen
Hudson
Samuels/Tell
Us
Detroit
DETROIT,
MI (Tell
Us Det)
- The
Secretary
of
Education
and
Michigan’s
Governor
visited
a top
Detroit
Public
School
Monday
and for
a short
period,
became
teachers.
The
pre-kindergarten
students
at
Thirkell
Elementary
sat
attentively
as
Snyder
and
Duncan
read to
them
from
"The
Rainbow
Fish” as
their
teacher
Felicia
Clark
looked
on.
Secretary
Duncan
was in
town to
support
education
reform;
he and
Governor
Snyder
made
stops at
three
metro
area
school
including
Brenda
Scott
Elementary/Middle
which is
under
Education
Achievement
Authority
management.
While at
Thirkell,
the
officials
visited
a fifth
grade
class
studying
the
Constitution.
They
observed
teacher
Julia
Pitts
deliver
project
based
instruction
on how
the
country
grew
from 13
colonies
to 50
states;
each
student
was
assigned
a state
to
research
and then
presented
findings
to the
class on
why
their
state
would
attract
tourism.
Governor
Snyder
looked
for the
student
who had
Michigan
and
spent
time at
Paris
Alston’s
desk.
“He had
Motown
as an
attraction
and
Jiffy as
made in
Michigan”
Snyder
said "He
even
included
me in
his
report.”
Dr.
Karen
Ridgeway
the
Superintendent
of
Academics
who was
the
school
tour,
made an
announcement
on early
childhood
education,
she said
25
preschool
classes
will be
added to
the
Detroit
Public
Schools.
A town
hall
meeting
was to
be held
during
the stop
at
Brenda
Scott.
The
school’s
EAA
status
was
criticized
by State
Sen.
Bert
Johnson
who gave
the
Education
Secretary,
excerpts
referenced
the EAA,
"It is
my hope
that you
and
President
Barack
Obama
will
seriously
consider
the
ramifications
of
giving
the
appearance
of
tacitly
supporting
this
failed
experiment."
The
letter
also
addressed
school
test
results
whose
validity
Burton
questioned
“… the
entire
testing
scheme
used to
make
these
evaluations
was
flawed
by
technological
glitches
that
were not
addressed
until
recently."
The last
stop in
Michigan
was to
the
Perry
Child
Development
Center
in
Ypsilanti
to again
highlight
preschool
education
and
request
an
increase
in
funding
for
Michigan’s
Great
Start
Readiness
program.
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