New High Schools Grants
Michigan Future, Inc. (MFI) – through its Michigan Future Schools initiative – is now accepting applications to make grants to help start two new small high schools in the fall of 2011. To apply download a copy of the Request for a Proposal here.
The focus is on providing a high quality education to primarily low-income and minority students in Detroit and its inner ring suburbs. Our focus is on quality, not governance or location.
The Michigan Future Schools initiative is designed to work with traditional public school districts, charter schools and private schools. We will work with schools located south of Twelve Mile Road and east of Telegraph. Schools must be open to students from the City of Detroit. We will only work with new high schools. And only with schools that we believe have a high likelihood of meeting our student achievement expectations.
MFI expects that all students enrolled in the high schools it supports will succeed in college. It has committed to its funders that at least 85% of each school’s students will graduate from high school, of those graduates at least 85% will enroll in college and of those who enroll at least 85% will earn a college degree.
Follow Michigan Future Inc on Twitter at #michiganfuture
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Comments
By Bob Leonard on February 8th, 2010 at 7:49 am
Are you seeing any proposals that emphasize a big ON-LINE component? Is MIVU (virtual univ) viewed as a viable part of the HS experience? And can you guys do anything to promote that means of instructional delivery, (and are you interested in doing so)?
I’m not suggesting that it should completely replace a traditional school (the social/full band width/face-to-face aspect is important too) but why not push it as augmentative verging on pre-eminent?
It totally fits with the (computer centric, video centric) experience of many kids these days, and is undoubtedly a rising model. Listen to the ads from the private ed models, Univ of Phoenix et al are growing with leaps and bounds.
By Lou Glazer on February 9th, 2010 at 11:52 am
Proposals aren’t due until April. So we haven’t received any yet. We are open to schools that have a big online component. We do believe that serving the “whole child” is a critical ingredient in delivering effective teaching and learning. And that almost for sure needs to be done in person, so we would want some mix of personal contact with an educator and online learning if we were to do a virtual school.
Beyond the Michigan Schools Initiative we are interested in encouraging innovation in the design of schools – including virtual schools. We have recommended previously that folks read Disrupting Class that makes a strong case for schooling organized around software customized for kids differing learning styles.
By Don Attebury on February 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 am
What are your thoughts on private non-profit religious schools? Can inner city private schools, often supported by religious groups have a positive impact by preparing low income kids for college who would otherwise be unable to attend? I realize Michigan’s Future is not a religious group so I am not suggesting you support such schools. I am just asking if you think religious support of such schools helps prepare more kids for college.
By Lou Glazer on February 23rd, 2010 at 8:15 am
Religious schools–more broadly private schools–are part of a system of quality schools. Religious schools have the same mixed track record as do traditional public and charter schools. Some get good student achievement, some don’t. Our new Michigan Future Schools initiative will provide start up funding to new private–as well as traditional public and charter–high schools. What matters to us is the quality of the school, not its governance. And in the case of private schools its affordability.