Michigan considers school "Trigger Law"

[Dr Mordrid]

Link....

If a bill before the Michigan House passes, 60 percent of parents whose children attend a failing school could require one of four potential reforms by signing a petition. Senate Bill 620 would also allow a petition consisting of signatures from 60 percent of the school’s teachers and 51 percent of its parents to have the same effect.

Parents could require that school be converted into a public charter school, adopt new teaching strategies, remove the principal and half the teachers, or shut down.

The bill, known nationally as a Parent Trigger law, passed in the Senate in June. It would apply only to children attending schools in the state’s lowest-performing 5 percent.

“[The bill] fits with our desire to create more choice and opportunity for parents and students,” said state Sen. Phil Pavlov (R- St. Clair), chairman of the Senate Education Committee. “The thinking with the Parent Trigger is … to get the schools that have been continually on the lowest performing schools in the state and [creating] a pathway for parents and teachers to reconstitute the school to what the parents and students need.”

Five states currently have Parent Trigger laws. The issue has received national attention since the idea first became law in California in 2010 and a Hollywood movie centered on the concept came out September 28.

[Brian Ellis]

Question:
Lowest performing schools would most probably be in the poorer districts with lower perming children and consequently lower performing parents. Would such parents understand the meaning of such petitions and would they be bothered to sign one?

2nd question:
In the states that have such laws, how many petitions have been validly signed and with what results?

[Dr Mordrid]

Question:
Lowest performing schools would most probably be in the poorer districts with lower perming children and consequently lower performing parents. Would such parents understand the meaning of such petitions and would they be bothered to sign one?

An unfair assumption because in a great many bad schools the problem is entirely bureaucratic & union based. Many urban districts are horribly performing due to mismanagement, neglect and the teachers & other unions preventing needed reforms (including security), yet most of its parents have pulled the trigger individually by moving their kids to charter school, a private academy and even giving up guardianship to relatives so their kids can attend better suburban schools. This would let them just collectively nuke the local building and reform it into a charter.

2nd question:

In the states that have such laws, how many petitions have been validly signed and with what results?

California started it in 2010 so the stats are sparse, but in MI charters & privates outperform public schools and home education outperforms most all other forms. To accomodate home schooling (and homebound kids due to illness or disability) many MI districts & colldges are offering online resources and coursework. Growing by leaps & bounds.

In addition to the trigger law (if passed) MI has an Emergency Manager Act which allows the state to take over an entire troubled district or city, especially if they have intractable budget problems. The city of Detroit and its school district are now operating under an Emergency Manager (schools) or under a court approved consent agreement (city) that's one screwup away from a state takeover.

[paulw]

Hey Doc.

Do the school districts in the US still run the school bus services??

[Dr Mordrid]

In the suburbs & rural areas that's typical, but some large cities issue mass transit passes to the upper grades. Not the best IMO.