LANSING, Mich — Michigan Virtual University released a report about K-12 education in our state Tuesday, focusing on a call for more personalized learning throughout Michigan schools.
MVU says that Governor Rick Snyder, who asked them to take a look at two main questions:
- What is the future of public education in Michigan?
- What role could instructional technology play in that future?
The MVU is one of the largest virtual schools in the U.S., and was founded in the ’90s by the state of Michigan. The new report is called, “Moving Michigan Farther, Faster: Personalized Learning and the Transformation of Learning in Michigan,” and was done by Public Sector Consultants and the Citizens Research Council. It makes six main recommendations to the state:
- Formalize policy strategies and tactics, so each student can learn at his own pace
- Create a statewide system of support for teachers during the transition to personalized learning
- Support the schools in becoming more personalized learning-focused
- Find an independent voice in education who can help providers and districts use the most functional technology
- Create and support a data infrastructure that can be used by teachers, parents, students and schools to help with individualized instruction
- The governor should appoint an independent authority to evaluate quality of content providers
“Consistently throughout the interviews, state and national stakeholders said the future of education will include both additional face-to-face time with professional teachers and an increasing use of technology — inside and outside the traditional classroom — for students at every grade level,” said Jeff Williams of Public Sector Consultants in a press release.
If you want to learn more about advancing K-12 education, Grand Rapids is one of the locations for the regional forums MVU will host. Details of the forums will be posted online once they’re finalized.
