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School panel has important assignment

Two of 24 teachers from districts across the state selected to serve on a committee to guide implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act are from the Upper Peninsula.

Chris Woods is from Calumet while Gina Pepin is from Escanaba. They will join 22 others from K-12 public schools in putting into motion the new federal law, which replaces No Child Left Behind.

Under ESSA, every state is to develop a plan that it will use to improve educational outcomes for children and hold schools accountable and transparent for that success, according to information from the state.

“Their collective talents and experience will be an asset to the council as we collaborate on the state’s plan to implement Michigan’s ESSA plan and work to become a Top 10 educations state within 10 years,” State Superintendent Brian Whiston said in a written statement.

“Based on the leadership these educators have demonstrated in our schools and communities, we know that Michigan’s students are in great hands.”

Although planning has just started, it’s expected that the new panel will offer policy and programmatic suggestion to Whiston, who has pledged to make Michigan among the nation’s best-performing education states.

With long-term education funding an unknown and school pensions swimming in an ocean of red ink, the work this new committee is undertaking is serious. It will chart a path forward for the state’s public school system on everything from curriculum to staffing. We look forward to the final set of recommendations.

— Marquette Mining Journal

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