Universal Education: A Framework for Educational Policy Development in Michigan

by Elizabeth W. Bauer

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The responsibility of policy makers in public education is huge. It is complicated by the conflicting purposes of public education: preserving the culture of established values and norms of society and promoting positive change in society through education. Advocates for increasingly diverse groups, political pressures, and response to these competing forces will have long-term consequences for educators, students, and society. This issue of FOCUS on Results discusses the vision and principles of Universal Education as approved by the Michigan State Board of Education in October 2005. These principles were approved as a framework and foundation for policy development by the State Board, the Department of Education, and local and intermediate school districts. The principles of Universal Education reflect the beliefs that each person deserves and needs a concerned, accepting educational community that values diversity and provides a comprehensive system of individual supports form birth to adulthood.

How then to respond? The easiest course would be to set a policy direction informed by one’s own experience. But in today’s complex world, that course is likely to be irrelevant. It is more productive to ask who are our students; what are their educational, social, and emotional needs; how can we meet their needs, and who will partner with us to do so? It was just such an examination that led to development of the Universal Education Vision and Principles in October 2005 as a framework and foundation for policy development by the State Board, Department of Education, and local and intermediate school districts.

The Vision

Every individual’s success is important to our society. Each person deserves and needs a concerned, accepting educational community that values diversity and provides a comprehensive system of individual supports from birth to adulthood. Universal Education removes barriers, provides flexible and responsive supports, and facilitates life-long learning for all.

The Principles of Universal Education reflect the belief that in order to support the learning of all students in achieving desired educational outcomes, there must be:

• A Learning Community that values diversity, engages working partnerships in removing all barriers, recognizes the essential roles of families and primary caregivers, and involves a broad base of stakeholders that influence public policy and practice.
• A Learning Environment that creates a culture of safety, support, and acceptance—a culture that honors the right of all students to learn together and is guided by a commitment to educational excellence, democracy, and social justice. The learning environment assures access to resources and provides support for teachers and students. It supports policies and practices to prevent learning problems stemming from physical, environmental, and social factors and promotes leadership among stakeholder groups that guide continuous instructional improvement so that all may progress in public education.
• Adult and Student Learning that ensures effective educator pre-service and ongoing professional development. The “how” of Universal Education, these principles implement effective instructional practices…moving the student from the edge of competence forward. Students’ performance and growth data are used to assess student achievement and guide professional learning.

The Universal Education Vision and Principles are helping policy makers make public education in Michigan more relevant to those who use it today.

This framework for policy development is not something “off the shelf.” It has a long history, and the process of development is equally and perhaps even more important than the product. The recorded history dates to 1983 when advocates began calling for attention to various groups of youth who were experiencing barriers to their access to, experience with, and progress in public education. Most were individuals and groups speaking for persons with disabilities. Others included pregnant teens, suspended and expelled youth, and children and youth in poverty. Common to all was a call for public education to provide relevant services and supports so that these infants, toddlers, children, and youth could benefit from public education.

Over the next two decades, white papers were written, proposals made to the State Board and the Michigan Department of Education, and testimony delivered to the State Board and the Legislature. In early 2003, the State Board heard a formal presentation on Universal Education by the Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities and various advocacy organizations and received yet another white paper. This paper was developed by advocates and educators and documented the benefits of giving ALL students equal access to public education, setting high standards, and holding high expectations for their performance.

In June 2003, the State Board charged the State Superintendent of Public Instruction “to prepare a draft position paper on Universal Education that will include principles, statutory alignment, and vision for the education of all infants, toddlers, children, and youth including diverse learners such as those with disabilities and others who require special supports to achieve desired educational outcomes.” Dr. Jacquelyn Thompson, Director of the Michigan Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Early Intervention Services, was asked to fulfill the charge. Dr. Thompson saw this as a unique opportunity to address the educational needs of all marginalized persons of school age and underscore the true meaning of ALL.

A referent group was established. Its membership included leaders from the fields of education, public health, mental health, juvenile justice, social services, and the community at large. Members from the education field included general and special educators, administrators, curriculum specialists, higher education faculty, related service providers, parents, recent graduates, and state and local school board members.

Between January 2004 and June 2004, the referent group used a computer-assisted CogniScopeTM process to clarify the charge, identify the challenges and barriers to education faced by diverse populations, and develop and build consensus on a vision statement and set of principles. What the group learned about the needs of infants, toddlers, children, and youth—both those enrolled in public education and those unable to access public education or to optimally benefit from their experience—was stunning. Referent group members discovered many dimensions of diversity to which our public education system was not responding. The group examined the needs of these students and potential students in the context of family and community and examined the array of educational environments and stakeholders that could be responsive to them. The work was comprehensive, concentrated, and intense.

The resulting Universal Education Vision and Principles were formally presented to the State Board in early 2005. Following the formal presentation, Board discussion, and review, the framework was approved in October 2005. It is a remarkable achievement. The Universal Education document and glossary of terms can be downloaded from the Michigan Department of Education Web site (under Education Resources) at www.michigan.gov/mde. Scroll down to “Education Resources” and click on “Universal Education Vision & Principles with Glossary of Terms.”

Just as the Universal Education Vision and Principles did not come “off the shelf,” once approved, they were not put on the shelf. We in Michigan see them referenced daily in the development of State Board policy. They are reflected in proposals currently before the Board to increase the requirements for teacher certification (e.g., to receive a Michigan teaching Certificate, candidates will have to demonstrate their ability to teach all learners, including students with disabilities) as well as to upgrade the criteria for approval of teacher education programs in colleges and universities. They are also reflected in the criteria for grant allocation.

The Universal Education Vision and Principles framework guides school improvement planning and individual learning plans. It encourages legislative initiatives to support students to stay in school, end bullying, fund early intervention and after school programs, and more. Because the Vision and Principles apply to ALL students, they help to focus attention on unserved and underserved youth and the need for rigor, relevance, and meaningful relationships in all public education domains. Advocacy organizations are using the Universal Education Vision and Principles as a foundation for educating policymakers.

The most dynamic factor of this document is the relevance of the framework. Because the framework was developed by people who use public education, it is also relevant to them. Because it is relevant, it reinforces the purposes of public education and secures the place of public education in our society. Said another way, Universal Education is public education’s responsibility to each and every student in all educational settings with supports from all stakeholders.

For more information visit, www.michigan.gov/mde and click on the link to Universal Education Vision & Principles, with Glossary of Terms.

Universal Education

FIGURE 1

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Author

Elizabeth W. Bauer, M.A., is an elected member of the Michigan State Board of Education. She participated in the universal Education referent group and was involved in many of the earlier advocacy efforts to achieve this framework for policy development.

Elected in 2002, Elizabeth W. Bauer is an international consultant in human rights and civil society and a former executive director of the Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service. ebauer7400@aol.com.

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