MANS 2024 Public Policy Day - March 19, 2024 in Lansing

Participate in impactful advocacy at the 2024 MANS Public Policy Day! This is your chance to gather with fellow nonpublic school advocates from across the state and engage directly with legislators on the issues that matter most to our schools.

Let us unite our voices to advocate for our nonpublic school students!

Participants will begin the day in Heritage Hall located in the Michigan State Capitol. Prior to visiting with your legislator(s), you will hear from policy experts who will help you understand the immediate impacts of broad policy decisions. You will also be provided with the tools you need to make your legislative visit productive and positive.

Speaker Announcement: look for an email next week!

Key legislators have been invited to join us in the morning. Senator Aric Nesbitt (R-Lawton), Senate Minority Leader has confirmed his attendance. More to come over the next few weeks.

Each participant will be scheduled for team visits with your legislators. Please register as soon as possible to ensure ample time for MANS staff to schedule meetings.

Why Your Colleagues Recommend MANS Public Policy Day

"This was my first time attending. It was very informative, educational, organized and well thought out. I appreciate all the time and effort MANS put into organizing and scheduling visits with the representatives and senators."

"We need opportunities to advocate for our schools and MANS provides a simple and effective way to do that as a group of nonpublic school leaders!"

Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC)

Van Andel Institute: Free Administrator Series Virtual Ongoing Coaching

This series is provided free of charge to Michigan nonpublic schools by the Michigan Equitable Service Collaborative (MESC), which is coordinated by MANS. This is a sustained training, with each session building off the other. 

Find Your Authentic Leadership Style, February 22, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Leading is not for the faint of heart. Addressing gaps in achievement, behavior, SEL, and more, all while protecting the mental health of staff and students, requires that K-12 administrators find their authentic leadership style and lean in. Join this webinar to discover your personal leadership style and how to leverage that into success for yourself and your school! 

School Improvement Planning, February 29. 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Administrators around the country are still grappling with the challenges of educating during a pandemic, but school improvement plans are as important as ever, and they aren’t going to write themselves! In this session, discover a 6-step process to support your school improvement planning efforts. Learn strategies to help you set and prioritize goals, identify and allocate resources, and communicate your plan effectively. 

Be the Coach: Best Practices to Mediate Thinking, March 7, 2024 | 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.

Instructional coaching is a powerful way for teachers to reflect on their teaching practice. In this session, discover research-based factors that make instructional coaching successful and how to bring this type of professional growth opportunity to your school.

State Continuing Education Clock Hours (SCECH)

SCECH Eligible Professional Development

Unsure of what qualifies as SCECH-eligible professional development? The Michigan Department of Education has a webpage dedicated to SCECHs and DPPDs.

The Google SCECH application for the 2023-2024 academic year will be made available in April 2024. If you've already completed your PD for the year and need early access or if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Shelley Long.

Title IV, Part A Stronger Connections Grant Release

The Safer Communities Act (BSCA) expands vital mental health services and provides additional support for states and school districts to design and enhance initiatives that will promote safer, more inclusive, and positive school environments for all students, educators, and school staff.



The Michigan Department of Education has been awarded $26,504,262 through the federal Title IV, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) to competitively award subgrants to Title I, Part A eligible high-need local education agencies, including public school academies, to establish safer and healthier learning environments and to prevent and respond to acts of bullying, violence, and hate that impact our school communities at individual and systemic levels, among other programs and activities. Nonpublic schools are eligible to equitably participate in this program should their LEA apply. MANS urges administrators to contact the federal programs director in their LEA to express an interest in participating.

Details about the Title IV, Part A Stronger Connections competitive grant application process will be announced in February 2024. MANS will continue to provide updates as they are available.

MiLEAP

Encourage your students and their families to register today for a MI Student Aid Webinar:

1. Michigan Achievement Scholarship - students and their families looking to secure more financial aid for college are encouraged to register for an informational webinar about the Michigan Achievement Scholarship, which is the newest State of Michigan scholarship program expected to impact the majority of students.
2. Virtual Financial Aid Webinars - Students and their families interested in learning about financial aid basics are encouraged to register for a virtual presentation provided by the MI Student Aid team.

Michigan School Safety Academy

The Michigan School Safety Academy is a two-day learning opportunity hosted by the Michigan State Police Office of School Safety for K-12 school administrators, school safety liaisons, mental health professionals, and school resource officers. Registration is now open for March 5 and 6 at Cornerstone University's Gainey Conference Center.

Federal Updates

Free Webinar: Latest Private School Data from NCES Surveys, Including the PSS, NTPS, TFS and PFS

On February 7 at 1:00 p.m. EST the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) will host a webinar to provide an overview of the newest data on private schools from several recent national surveys. This webinar will feature NCES Study Director Andrew Zukerburg on select key findings from the Private School Universe Study (PSS), the National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS), and the Teacher Follow-up Survey (TFS) and Principal Follow-up Survey (PFS) to the NTPS. Topics discussed will include private school data on the number of private schools and student enrollment, the teacher and principal labor force, and attrition.

Transformative Education Scholars Program (TESP) - Loyola University Chicago

MANS is pleased to announce a partnership with Loyola University Chicago TESP. As a member of the Transformative Education Scholars Program (TESP), a minimum of 12-15 members will complete one of the participating academic degree programs with the benefit of a 30% tuition discount. Scholars will receive a 30% tuition discount each semester of their academic degree program. Discount applies to required courses within the degree program only and does not cover fees or other expenses 

Eligibility for Transformative Education Scholars Program: Must apply to and be accepted to one of the participating academic programs and must be admitted as part of a cohort of at least 12-15 members of the organization.

Participating Degree/ Endorsement Programs include: 

• Higher Education MEd
• Language Culture and Curriculum MEd
• School Counseling MEd
• Educational Leadership MEd
• Superintendent Endorsement Certificate
• Elementary Education MEd
• Secondary Education MEd

This skill-based course explores the pivotal role of positive interactions in building trust between students and teachers in the classroom, ultimately guiding them to develop a personalized plan for enhancing positive interactions and monitoring progress.

In this course, you will:

• Discover the power of positive interactions and learn about the 5-to-1 ratio.
• Examine and reflect upon your current interactions with learners.
• Develop a plan for building trust with students through positive interactions.
• Track your progress using a simple template.
• Apply your knowledge and share reflections with other participants.
• Earn 4 SCECHs

New Advanced Tech Courses for Students

Dive into Michigan Virtual's new Mobile App Design with MIT App Inventor course, suitable for students at any programming level. They'll learn to build functional mobile apps using MIT App Inventor's user-friendly visual environment, covering app design, usability, and security. For those with a programming background, Michigan Virtual's Video Game Design with Java course offers an immersive experience in game development, utilizing Java and Greenfoot. Students will gain hands-on skills in game design and project lifecycle management. 

Catapult Learning PDNow

Professional development (PD) should solve today’s education challenges and meet educators where they are – that’s where we step in. PDNow is Catapult Learning’s professional learning platform that pairs more than 45 years of school partnership excellence with technology, giving your K-12 educators access to high-quality PD that builds capacity – anywhere, anytime.

GPS Solutions provides a mental health professional who conducts one-on-one, group, and whole group support that focuses on both proactive and reactive ways to promote self-awareness, managing emotions, social awareness, developing empathy, maintaining and repairing healthy relationships, and responsible decision-making. This support is designed for students, staff, and leaders so that the strategies identified can be supported with all stakeholders within the building.