Smart Caps are on the move in Michigan. Democratic State Senator Buzz Thomas of Detroit introduced a bill today to eliminate the state’s charter school cap for “schools of excellence”. Currently, state universities are limited to authorizing 150 charter schools statewide–a cap they’ve already reached. Senator Thomas’ bill would remove this limit for charter schools that have received the highest performance designation in Michigan, or in another state, for the past three years. The legislation also provides an annualized cap of 5 new charters per year, per authorizer, allowing new, unproven charter schools to continue to open in the state.
This move isn’t just about expanding choice. Given President Obama and Secretary Duncan’s tough language on charter school caps, this is also a move to put Michigan in a better position to compete for some of the $4.35 billion in Race to the Top money.
You can read more about the Smart Caps idea here.
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.
The new bill to eliminating charter school cap is an interesting one. Given secretary Duncans’ stance on the issue makes me wonder if it will be workable.
[...] Michigan seems poised to take a survival of the fittest approach to lifting its charter cap. [...]