Ohio-Michigan Education Reform Campaign

About this grant

This grant will enable B.R.E.A.D. to coordinate the Ohio-Michigan Education Reform Campaign, a joint initiative of eight sister community organizations in Ohio and Michigan. The campaign was started in 2002 to maximize the resources devoted to leadership development, organizer recruitment, training and research for education reform.Multiyear funding will support literacy improvement campaigns in both states, and efforts to continue developing and deepening leadership in the participating organizations. Activities will include holding legislative days in both states to build relationships with policymakers; providing opportunities for elected officials from both states to meet and discuss education issues; convening staff and leaders from both states for ongoing training and development; strengthening the organizational structure for statewide work in both states; and supplying assistance to local organizations to implement education improvement campaigns.Accomplishments during the past two years included strengthening local groups; developing leaders; participating in research and training on education issues; conducting research on effective methods for teaching reading; creating a strategy for working with local school districts to improve reading instruction; and developing statewide strategies.