How do I get involved?
Sure, I support my schools, but what do I do about it?
Good question! Here are some things parents around Michigan can do:
Get informed
- Join the MIPFS advocacy mailing list and get updates about what's happening in Lansing. We alert concerned parents and citizens around the state when important legislation is being considered at the State Capitol.
- Check out some of the articles here at MIPFS.org - we've been writing about statewide school issues since 2007!
- Visit some of the online school advocacy sites that also cover state and local education issues; for instance:
- Join or follow MIPFS's other online communities: our Facebook group, our Facebook page, and our Twitter feed.
Get active
- Use our advocacy system to contact your state lawmakers, and respond to action alerts MIPFS sends out to advocates statewide (see above).
- Help change the conversation about public schools - talk to your family, friends and neighbors about the value of strong, community-governed public education.
- Join a local parent advocacy group, or let us help you start one. Here are some of our local affiliated groups:
- Ann Arbor PTO Council Advocacy Committee
- Friends of Dexter Community Schools
- Forest Hills Families Supporting Our Schools
- East Grand Rapids Public Schools PTO Legislative Committee
- Friends of Kent County Schools
- Michigan Citizens Advocating for Public Education (MI-CAPE)
- Okemos Parents for Schools
- Parents for Thornapple-Kellogg Schools
Get national
- Michigan Parents for Schools is a state affiliate of Parents Across America, a national non-profit that advocates for strong local public education.
- One of the most outspoken advocates for public education today is historian Diane Ravitch, whose blog is tremendously valuable.
- It's hard to find unbiased reporting about education these days, but the Hechinger Report - produced by Teachers College of Columbia University - is one great source.