Charter Schools

summer teacher institute. The Saginaw Valley National Writing Project—which Kay Harley, professor of English, and Jane Denton, Saginaw Public Schools language arts coordinator, co-directed—soon grew to include schools in Bay County.27

In 2009, Deborah Smith, professor of teacher education, received support from the Michigan Department of Education for the Urban Literacy Cadre project, focusing on improving achievement among inner-city students.28

The College of Education also developed new graduate programs designed to meet the needs of area teachers and administrators. For instance, beginning in 2003 the college developed master’s degree programs in instructional technology, online learning and principalship.29

The History Department worked with local students researching projects for participation in the annual National History Day in Michigan event, and in 2013 the university hosted the state competition.

Charter Schools

SVSU became a sponsoring institution for charter schools. Following a trend Minnesota started 1991, Michigan was one of many states to approve enabling legislation. Charter schools, which received a lower level of state support than traditional facilities, enjoyed exemption from some government oversight. Many emphasized special curricula, such as science or the arts, and measured success on student outcomes. The Legislature allowed non-profit organizations, government entities, private corporations and universities to charter and oversee the schools.

SVSU became interested in charter schools right after lawmakers endorsed them in 1993. SVSU leaders saw charters as a way to improve educational opportunities in economically-disadvantaged rural and urban communities. But not everyone was enamored with the idea, as then Board of Control member Leola Wilson recalled. Wilson, a member of the Saginaw Intermediate School District Board of Education, questioned the feasibility of charter schools. Public education proponents feared they would “cherry pick” students, drain resources from inner city districts and undermine teacher unions.

Gilbertson, acknowledging concerns, worked with a special board subcommittee in 1994 to study the topic. The group met with school superintendents and teachers, SVSU faculty and representatives of the state Office of Charter Schools. The committee reported that SVSU’s sponsorship was a way to improve schools and benefit communities. Through its School & University Partnership Office—led by former regional secondary school district superintendents Wayne Vasher, followed by Joseph Rousseau—SVSU chartered its first schools in 1996. The university started with Traverse Bay Community School in Traverse City, Northwest Academy in Charlevoix, Cesar Chavez Academy in Detroit, Grattan Academy in Belding, Chatfield School in Lapeer and the Pontiac Academy for Excellence in Pontiac. By 2003, the university was sponsoring 18 schools with nearly 6,000 students.

The College of Education implemented new strategies in classroom management and curriculum alignment at Cesar Chavez Academy, helping result in a dramatic increase in Michigan Educational Assessment Program scores. A decade later, the university was overseeing 27 schools enrolling nearly 13,000 students throughout the state.30