World-Class Standards for Michigan Learners

This year, Michigan public schools began using the kind of high-quality content standards that our kids need to be competitive in the 21st century.  Used by 45 states, the Common Core State Standards specify what kids should be able to know and do at every grade level in reading, math and science, so they can be ready to advance when they graduate no matter whether they enter the workforce or continue their education.

We all want our children to succeed and for our state to flourish.  The fact is that good paying jobs are increasingly requiring more education and the jobs will go where educated workers can be found. Michigan needs the Common Core. The standards have been carefully researched and developed to ensure their rigor and relevance in a 21st-century knowledge economy.  After decades of shrinking incomes and population, Michigan is starting to rebound. To make our recovery permanent, we need to make sure our children have the knowledge and skills that employers need. 

With the Common Core in place, teachers and schools have a reliable yardstick for determining whether their learners are on track to keep pace with their peers across the globe. Michigan still gets to decide the curricula that should be taught and teachers get to decide how to teach.

The Common Core is essential to make sure every graduate in Michigan has been well prepared for the world of tomorrow. Business Leaders for Michigan joins with education leaders, research and advocacy groups like the Business Round Table, Detroit Regional Chamber, Education Trust-Midwest, and many others to support full and continuing implementation of the Common Core.

Our goal is to make Michigan a Top Ten state for job, economic and personal income growth. Whether it’s in traditional Michigan industry sectors like manufacturing and agriculture or growing ones like healthcare and technology, Michigan’s ability to grow economically will be driven by increases in productivity tied to talent and innovation – and our education system is a primary incubator of both. The Common Core State Standards will ensure that all Michigan kids have the academic knowledge and skills to succeed after high school and help create a bright economic future for Michigan.

BLM in Support of Common Core State Standards

Below you will find a letter to the Michigan Legislature from Business Leaders for Michigan indicating support of the Common Core State Standards.  The standards are being discussed by both chambers as they review the 2014 budget for the Michigan Department of Education. 

May 2, 2013

The Honorable Joseph Haveman                              The Honorable Roger Kahn

Chair, House Appropriations Committee                   Chair, Senate Appropriations Committee

P.O. Box 30014                                                     P.O. Box 30036

Lansing, MI 48909-7514                                          Lansing, MI 48909-7536

Dear Chairman Haveman and Chairman Kahn:

I am writing to express our organization’s strong support for implementing the Common Core State Standards. The standards are not a curriculum – they only specify what students should know and be able to do in each grade and by the end of high school to be career and college ready. 

 The data overwhelmingly demonstrates the need for and benefit of a quality education:

• Between now and 2018, 80% of the highest-paying, most in-demand jobs in Michigan will require an Associate’s degree or higher (Michigan Labor Market Information, Hot 50 Jobs);
• By 2025, Michigan will need 900,000 more workers with an Associate’s degree or higher to fill available jobs (Lumina Foundation); and,
• Those with higher levels of education earn more and are less likely to be unemployed (Bureau of Labor Statistics).

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Business Leaders host National Research Council workshop to explore future of universities in fueling Michigan’s, nation’s economy

Ann Arbor, Mich., April 12, 2013 — Top state and national leaders in business and academia met today to discuss strategies to maintain the preeminence of America’s public research universities and the role states can play in this effort The workshop was hosted by Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, and was an opportunity to provide input to the National Research Council  on recommendations designed to ensure that American research universities are able to maintain the excellence in research and doctoral education needed to help the nation compete and prosper globally in the 21st century.  

The featured guest was Chad Holliday, Jr., Chairman of the board of directors of Bank of America, former CEO of DuPont Corporation and chair of the National Academy of Engineering. He shared the findings in the Research Universities and the Future of America, a report compiled in concert with leaders in academia, industry, government, and national laboratories. A workgroup discussion followed discussing the importance of higher education to the nation, business and citizens; how to better communicate the value of higher education to different stakeholders; how to better connect the needs of businesses with universities; and possible strategies for making college more affordable on a long-term basis.  This was the fourth in a series of meetings with business leaders across the nation to gain feedback on the recommendations.  Earlier meetings were held in Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Arizona.

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Business Leaders Forecast: Michigan will continue to grow faster than U.S. economy

Long-term outlook better than short-term; More hiring planned for 2013

DETROIT, Mich., April 11, 2013 – Business Leaders for Michigan (BLM), the state’s business roundtable, continues to forecast that Michigan’s economy will grow faster than the U.S. economy over the next six to eighteen months.  The forecast is reinforced by 43 percent of BLM members planning to increase hiring in Michigan in just the next six months. 

“Michigan’s business leaders continue to be more bullish towards the state’s economic outlook than the nation’s again this quarter,” said Doug Rothwell, President & CEO. “While Michigan’s business climate continues to improve, no significant federal policy reforms have been adopted amidst the slowdown in global growth.  The net result is that business leaders are more optimistic about Michigan’s economy short- and long-term and are backing that optimism up with continued hiring.” 

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MichBio and BLM work to develop strategy to grow life sciences industry

Michigan’s health and medical expertise key to growing a New Michigan economy

Ann Arbor, Mich. — The state’s top leaders in business, life sciences, pharmaceutical and medical device innovation met today to develop strategies to grow Michigan’s bio-sciences industry. The meeting was hosted by MichBio, the state’s biosciences industry trade association. Today’s event was part of MichBio’s newly created CEO Leaders’ Club, a program series for senior bioscience executives from around the state. 

The featured guest was Alex Gorsky, Chairman and CEO, Johnson & Johnson, and a native Michigander. A workgroup discussion followed the moderated Q&A and set the stage for initiating a bio-industry led strategic planning effort.

“We greatly appreciated Alex Gorsky’s national and global perspective about the future of the biosciences industry,” said Steven Rapundalo, President and CEO, MichBio. “Michigan needs a strategic path to leverage its strong legacy of biomedical innovation and commercialization. The states that are top ten in the life sciences industry have done two things well.  First, they’ve developed a strategic plan and have had the fortitude and commitment to follow it through. Second, they have addressed their workforce needs by working with higher education in an integrated manner to ensure that the industry is supported. All of our competitors have growth strategies, yet the last time that Michigan had one was a decade ago. It’s time to change that.”

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