SPECIAL EVENT Teach in for Education in Michigan

INVITATION FOR STUDENTS, FACULTY & COMMUNITY
TEACH-IN:

On The Education Achievement Authority
December 3, 2013

Informational Picketing at 9:00 am Outside Welch Hall
Teach-In to Follow: 10-12:00 at Halle Library Auditorium
Hosted by: Professors Steven Camron & Rebecca Martusewicz

THEMES:
* How the EAA threatens democratic principles – a community speaksout,
corporate reform run amuck
* The relationship between the EAA and EMU – tarnishing our
University’s reputation & enrollment
* Destructive Pedagogy – how the EAA’s instructional practices run
counter to research and best practices, and may harm children
Invited Guests/Presenters: (In addition to select EMU faculty)
* Dr. Tom Pedroni, Professor, Wayne State University
* Rep. Ellen Lipton, State Representative, Harper Woods
* Sen. Hoon-Yung Hopgood, State Senator, Taylor
* Ms. Brooke Harris, former Teacher, EAA School
* Mr. Christopher Turkaly, former Teacher, EAA School
* Mr. Delbert Glaze. Former Teacher, EAA School
* Ms. Elena Herrada, Board member, Detroit Public Schools
* Ms. Michelle Fecteau, Member, Michigan State Board of Education

Please come and learn more and become an active champion for public

education!
More information contact: Steven Camron, scamron@emich.edu or Rebecca
Martusewicz, rmartusew@emich.edu

Petition:

"We, the faculty members of the College of Education, respectfully request that the university's participation in the inter-local agreement that created the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) be severed immediately." 

Will you sign the petition too? Click here to add your name: 

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/eastern-michigan-university?source=s.fwd&r_by=6268646 

Background:
The EAA is a statewide school district designated to take over failing schools.  Currently all schools in its jurisdiction are in Detroit, but the state superintendent wants to add more schools.  There are many problems with this model for failing schools including the mishandling of special needs students and the lack of accountability. Teachers at these schools loose their seniority, retirement benefits and contractual representation. 
The leadership of Eastern Michigan University (EMU) entered into this inter-local agreement that created the Education Achievement Authority (EAA). There were assumtions that members of the education faculty at Eastern would be actively engaged in the EAA -- misleading the citizens of the state; the professional educators of the state; AND the students of the University. The fact is EMU faculty were not invited to give input into such an arrangement or asked for their expertise as researchers and professionals in the complex and varied aspects of education (school administration, teacher development, and student achievement) as the EAA was established. To date, the faculty have been excluded from any direct participation in the creation or implementation of its policies, operating procedures, professional development, curricula or pedagogical practices, many of which the faculty find questionable at best. 

Furthermore, the faculty find the undermining of democratic processes represented in the creation of a district outside the purview of public decision-making and oversight to be in direct conflict with this university's mission and legacy as a champion of public education. This violation of our principles is now beginning to affect our historically strong relationship with local schools. Many local districts are boycotting the placement of our student teachers in their schools in protest of the EAA. 

Poem

for Nicki

I don’t hate it when the sun shines

but when you

(or Billy Collins for that matter)

and on and on

like when the sun is shining

hits that old pumpkin, curving in on itself

a speck of tarnished rind

the porch step

and the sun, direct, post-Halloween intention

what we almost forgot

when you for example (or Billy or Billy) turn

when you turn that particular corner, and the light

of 8am hits the corner of your eye

when the sun at 8am, and you don’t expect

falling, like pumpkins, off the porch, like leaves 

(stop there before you

like yellow all over the ground, or snow

yellow under the snow before it melted, turned still

holding court this last moment, when the sun

blasting, a bright red chair

a moment, and you

a little hokey, but you

almost lost against the sun, 8am, a chair

falling like pumpkins, this little

instant, a slant of light

an exercise in detail

think of the qualities that you would like to include. write those qualities. name them. insert a person into those qualities. make the person come alive. enact embody those qualities. show how that person is this way or that way or how this person embodies the aspects of this thing or how that character behaves when such and such happens. consider the qualities that people have. write down these qualities. imagine that you are a person with qualities that are like the qualities that other people have. show yourself your qualities in a way that show many people acting and behaving and embroiled in situations. these are the qualities that make up groups crowds communities of people.imagine community. where is utopia exactly? what are the qualities of utopia? who has the qualities that fit with those of the people of utopia? think of the characteristics that you have that you would like to give away. think of the characteristics that you want to acquire. are these qualities like inherent or are these add and subtract sorts of practices? are you talking about your own or your character? imagine the character and quality of your invented persona. make these traits speak on the page. create an embodiment of a person. include behavior. include mannerism. imagine happenings. create space. think of every element and put those into action. include community. create solitude or construct crowds. where exactly is this embodied and embroiled imagining?