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While it needs improvement in many areas, there are several things the MEA should be applauded for, and encouraged to continue in the future:
The MEA pays tribute to the 1997-98 "Teacher of the Year." The MEA is to be commended for recognizing outstanding members of the teaching profession who demonstrate extraordinary commitment to helping kids learn, and are dedicated to genuine professional development.
The MEA is also to be commended for recognizing the crucial role parents should play in their children's education. The MEA rightly asserts that, "parent involvement has been and always will be one of the single most important issues in public education." This is one reason that the Mackinac Center for Public Policy champions parental choice, which involves and empowers parents in the most fundamental educational decision of all: which school best meets their child's needs and interests.
The MEA's platform/resolutions rightly place an emphasis on the role of teachers as constantly improving professionals, uncompromising in their commitment to the betterment of each child's knowledge. "The MEA believes that it has a responsibility for improvement in the teaching profession."
Finally, the MEA takes measures to clearly and specifically identify its role in education. "The Association maintains that educational excellence for each child is the objective of the education system."
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy respects these objectives and attitudes, and hopes that the MEA's actions will always be consistent with them.
