Flanagan

June 29, 2009

LANSING -- State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan today announced a statewide Superintendent’s Dropout Challenge to Michigan's 4,000 public schools that could impact nearly 60,000 students at-risk of dropping out of school.

"Today, one out of every four Michigan children fails to graduate with their class," said Flanagan. "This challenge is the first step in helping thousands of Michigan students stay in school."

The challenge draws on research that shows most students send distress signals years before they drop out of school. Early warning signs displayed by students nearing or entering transitional school years, such as 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grades or beyond, have been proven to be strong dropout predictors.

July 1, 2009 MEMORANDUM

TO: Local and Intermediate School District Superintendents, Public School, Academy Superintendents, Public Universities and Community, Colleges, Public School Academy Authorizers and other interested parties

FROM: Michael P. Flanagan, Superintendent of Public Instruction

SUBJECT: Announcement of 2009-2010 Charter School Planning, Implementation and Dissemination Grant Opportunity

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan is on Twitter. Sign up to follow the State Superintendent at www.twitter.com/SuptFlanagan and get his latest thoughts on education and current news events. Flanagan’s tweets will be insightful, provocative, informative, thoughtful, and at times quite humorous. We in the Communications Department are a bit anxious with Mike having this kind of access to exercise his unwieldy “freedom of expression”.

The State Superintendent’s memo regarding the use of power standards you received in the past few days is the result of a lot of work by MASSP. The memo vindicates what we’ve been saying to you ever since the passage of the MMC -- there is a lot more flexibility in the standards than believed.

MASSP put considerable effort into getting this memo written to your advantage, the building principal. I hope you will now put it to your use.

mymassp.com/powerstandards

Congratulations to Jeff Runser, principal of St. Joseph High School. Jeff was recently announced as the recipient of the first Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan North Central Association.

Jeff was recognized for his outstanding leadership in promoting and advancing excellence in education. He was selected from a group of nominees by the Michigan NCA Council, a group of 16 educators, which includes State Superintendent of Instruction Mike Flanagan.

STATE OF MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION - LANSING
JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM, GOVERNOR
MICHAEL P. FLANAGAN, SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION

MEMORANDUM

TO: Intermediate Local School District Superintendents, Local School District Superintendents, Public School Academy Administrators, Public School Academy Authorizers, Principals

FROM: Sally Vaughn, Ph.D., Deputy Superintendent/Chief Academic Officer

SUBJECT: Public Input on the Michigan School Accreditation System

STATE OF MICHIGAN  DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION LANSING 

Dear Ms. xxx:

With the announcement Monday that Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan would not be a finalist for president of Eastern Michigan University, he told the State Board of Education at its meeting Tuesday that he was not planning to leave his current post.
"You're kinda stuck with me," Mr. Flanagan told the board, drawing applause from board members and department staff. "I love working with the state board and this team."
"I'm glad it's behind us," said board President Kathleen Straus (D-Bloomfield Township).

Public interviews are being staged this week to find a new president for the embattled Eastern Michigan University. Gov. Jennifer GRANHOLM is tossing her support behind state Superintendent Mike FLANAGAN.
Flanagan, who does not have a doctorate or any higher education experience, made the final four and was interviewed for the vacancy this week.
The Governor, through her media secretary, made her choice very clear to the eight members of the EMU board, seven of whom she has appointed.