SOM - Governor Granholm Says Education is Foundation for Prosperous Michigan in 21st Century

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LANSING - Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today said that investing in education from pre-school to graduate school and beyond is critical to building a foundation for a prosperous Michigan in the 21st century. The governor made her remarks before educators attending the Governor's Education Summit in Lansing.

"Our top priority is to grow our economy and create the jobs we need today and the jobs our children and grandchildren will have tomorrow," Granholm said. "Whether those jobs are in alternative energy, the life sciences, advanced manufacturing, or industries we can only imagine - we know they are going to demand high levels of education and training. That is why we must ensure that all students get an education that prepares them for success in college and the workplace."

Granholm noted that the education agenda she outlined earlier this year in her State of the State Address is needed to grow our economy. Specifically, Granholm is calling for:

- a 21st Century Schools Fund that will use up to $300 million to help Michigan school districts replace large, impersonal high schools that have low academic achievement and high dropout rates, with small high schools that use strong personal relationships, consistent discipline, and real-world relevance to help at-risk students achieve high academic goals;

- raising the state's legal dropout age to 18;

- increasing investment in early childhood education by $32 million to ensure that children get a quality education during the critical first years of life, through Great Start Early Childhood initiatives and local Great Start collaboratives;

- requiring school districts to provide a full-day kindergarten experience - rather than the traditional half-day - for students entering school to make a dramatic difference in the life opportunities of many of our youngest citizens;

- a financial incentive to reward colleges and universities when their students complete degrees, for creating opportunities for low-income students, and for turning research into commercial products that strengthen our economy;

- improved accountability by passing legislation to give the state superintendent of public instruction new powers to close schools that consistently fail to graduate students and prepare them for the 21st century workforce.

Granholm's education agenda builds on successes already in place to help prepare all students for education beyond high school. The administration has put in place some of the most rigorous high school graduation requirements in the nation, replaced the MEAP test with an ACT-like standardized college entrance exam, and is providing every high school graduate the opportunity to earn a $4,000 Michigan Promise scholarship.

Granholm noted that students who graduated from high school last June are the first class to qualify for this new scholarship. She also noted that while the Michigan Promise scholarship is opening the doors of higher education to all young people in Michigan, the Kalamazoo Promise is opening it even wider for students in that community.

"If you ask educators in Kalamazoo, they will tell you that they've never seen students more motivated or parents more involved than since the Kalamazoo Promise was announced just three years ago," Granholm said. "That's why I am urging the Legislature to pass Promise Zones legislation that will help more communities in Michigan create a promise that their children will have their tuition paid all the way to a college degree."

The governor stated that Promise Zones can help make stronger communities and help send young people to college, but they also have a profound impact on K-12 schools.

Finally, the governor said that education that begins before kindergarten and continues right through to graduate school cannot stop there. The No Worker Left Behind program is helping thousands of Michigan citizens earn degrees and learn new skills so they can get the jobs that our new economy is creating.

"Whether you are four or 40 - our goal in Michigan is to help you get the education and training you need to get a good job and lead a good life here in Michigan," Granholm said. "That is the foundation for a prosperous Michigan in the 21st century."