Evaluation, Measurement and Research professor presents to State Board of Education
July 2, 2021
KALAMAZOO, Mich.鈥擣or Dr. Gary Miron, professor of Evaluation, Measurement and Research (EMR), the greatest joy of his work is connecting policy makers with data and empirical evidence they can use.
On April 13, 2021 he had the opportunity to do just that as he gave a presentation on the expansion of privately operated charter schools and virtual schooling based on two reports from Western Michigan University (51福利社) and the National Education Policy Center. Both reports are co-authored by 51福利社 graduate students.
The first, 鈥," catalogs the organizations that manage charter schools, and the second, 鈥 ,鈥 focuses on profiling characteristics of virtual and blended schools.
鈥淭he findings are especially relevant here in Michigan as our state is an outlier nationally. We have over 85% of our charter schools that are owned and operated by private EMOs. With increased interest in virtual schooling due to the pandemic, it鈥檚 important that policy makers understand who is running these schools and how well they perform,鈥 said Miron.
惭颈谤辞苍鈥檚&苍产蝉辫;&苍产蝉辫; gave a high-level overview of the two reports and focused on data specific to Michigan. For example, only 8 out of 47 virtual schools in Michigan had received acceptable school ratings, and none of the 33 blended schools in Michigan had acceptable school ratings. Miron recommended policy makers require far more stringent controls and transparency than are evident in current practice. 鈥淰irtual schools aren鈥檛 going away. I believe they can be more effective, but a new model for is needed that focuses on student engagement and learning, not profit margins for the private entities that operate them. Our policy makers can help with that,鈥 he said.
Miron enjoys modeling for his EMR students how research and evaluation findings can directly inform policy and encourages them to engage in this work as well. Graduate students in the EMR program have had the opportunity to participate in conference calls with U.S. Senators and their staff when they鈥檝e contact Miron to discuss policy-relevant work. Some EMR students have participated in national presentation of the findings, including testimony for state legislatures or the U.S. Congress. 鈥淭his is the kind of work that excited me when I was in graduate school and I hope I can help others find this excitement as well.鈥
A is available.