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MI education department reports spike in low-performing schools needing state intervention

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A new report finds a spike in the number of Michigan schools needing state involvement to counter low academic performance.

The Michigan Department of Education identified 54 Michigan school districts with one or more low-achieving schools.

Peter Spadafore, the executive director of the Michigan Alliance for Student Opportunity – a group of some of the state's most disadvantaged school districts – said the results are not surprising, given the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a generational experience that had a significant impact on learning,” Spadafore said of the pandemic.

He said the report shows a need to change how the state funds education, and that the short-term infusions of cash that care from pandemic recovery funding won’t fuel long-term change.

“Yes, we’ve seen investments last year and the year before, and we have COVID money that we are still spending, but we need to have systemic reform – a systemic change in the way we fund schools,” Spadafore said.

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Steve Carmody has been a reporter for Michigan Radio since 2005. Steve previously worked at public radio and television stations in Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky, and also has extensive experience in commercial broadcasting. During his two and a half decades in broadcasting, Steve has won numerous awards, including accolades from the Associated Press and Radio and Television News Directors Association. Away from the broadcast booth, Steve is an avid reader and movie fanatic. Q&A