MEA Votes

The journey to rebuild Michigan's future begins on Election Day, writes MEA President Iris K. Salters, in her monthly column in The Detroit News. Don't miss the opportunity to make your voice heard Tuesday!

In an essay published in the Sunday Detroit Free Press, MEA President Iris K. Salters encourages readers to respond to the new documentary, "Waiting for Superman," by sharing stories about real school heroes on a new website, www.RealSchoolHeroes.com.

The film, which provides a skewed view of some of the challenges in public education, ignores many of the good things that are happening in Michigan schools, Salters wrote.

"We can't afford to ignore the great work being done in schools across this state. We have to learn from our successes -- not simply publicize our failures. That's why the MEA is encouraging people to visit a new website, www.RealSchoolHeroes.com, and share stories about the difference dedicated school employees make every day."

In her monthly column in The Detroit News, MEA President Iris K. Salters writes about the Legislature's failure to adequately fund public education. Absent real, long-term solutions to the budget crisis, Salters said voters can elect new leaders in November to fix the crisis once and for all.

"It's time politicians in Lansing end the gimmicks and quick fixes and finally get serious about making every level of education funding a top budget priority," she said.

In her monthly column in The Detroit News, MEA President Iris K. Salters writes about low-performing schools that will receive federal grant money to help boost student achievement.

In the article, Salters said: "To truly change the mindset from a struggling school to a culture of success, you must empower the people in the trenches. You need to cultivate support from parents and the community at large."

Read the full column here.

In her column in today's Detroit News, MEA President Iris K. Salters laments that the state's Race to the Top application failed to seize the opportunity to enact real, research-tested reforms like small class sizes and early childhood education. Instead, Michigan's plan was crafted "with political objectives instead of educational goals and without regard for strategies proven to help struggling schools."