ANN ARBOR—The University of Michigan is one of five locations chosen for an upcoming forum series the state Board of Education will hold over the next month to discuss education conditions, reforms and future direction.

Other sessions will be held in Grand Rapids, Clinton Township, Detroit and Mount Pleasant.

The campus community is invited to participate in the May 26 forum from 4-7 p.m. in the Michigan League Hussey Room.

“The forum provides a terrific opportunity for all concerned about public education to come together to discuss the challenges facing Michigan. Parents, teachers, policymakers and citizens can attend a local meeting of the state board to listen and speak to elected officials about their concerns, right here at the university,” said Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the School of Education.

“For the School of Education, this offers an important chance to contribute to the conversation by sharing what we are doing to ensure that every child in every classroom has a qualified teacher who can responsibly and skillfully help students learn. We are excited to host the meeting, to talk about our work, and to hear from others in the community.”

Board of Education leaders say the input is most valuable for their efforts to oversee the educational system and recommend policy and funding to the governor and Legislature.

“There is a lot of education reform under way, driven at the state, as well as the federal levels. Local school districts are scrambling, as well as innovating, in the face of increased learning expectations and intense budget pressures,” said John Austin, State Board president. “In addition, Gov. Snyder has put new education reform proposals on the table. We want to hear from our constituents, what they are experiencing, and how we can help them adapt to educational change.”

“At this critical juncture, the state board wants to hear from local educators and communities. This input is vital for us as we make important educational policy decisions,” said Casandra Ulbrich, state board vice president.

Forum sessions are open to the public and participants are invited to make written or oral comments.

Forum dates and locations

West Michigan
Grand Rapids Community College DeVos Campus
4-7 p.m. May 23
415 Fulton Street, Grand Rapids
Parking information, cms.grcc.edu/parking

Southeast Michigan
Macomb Community College Center Campus
4-7 p.m. May 25
Professional Development Center, University Center
44575 Garfield Rd, Clinton Township
Attendees should report to Assembly Hall.
The closest parking for visitors is in lot 3 or lot 5B as indicated on the campus map:
http://www.macomb.edu/NR/rdonlyres/948667EB-EA86-4567-B053-0AB241531CF7/0/CenterCampus.pdf

University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
4-7 p.m., May 26
Michigan League Hussey Room
911 North University Ave.
http://uunions.umich.edu/league/maps/

Detroit
Details to be determined

Central Michigan
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant
4-7 p.m. June 7
Voigtman Family Seminar Room
Room 413, CMU College of Education and Human Services Building
Map to parking www.cmich.edu/visit/campus_map.htm