Sarah Lenhoff

Michigan Nightlight: What does being a leader mean to you?
Education Trust-Midwest Director of Policy and Research Sarah Lenhoff: Being a leader, particularly in the social sector, means standing up for what is right, even when it is politically unpopular or financially difficult. It means staying true to core principles that are grounded in solid research. It means not settling for anything less than improving the lives of all kids. In the education field, it also means relentlessly pursuing solutions that will help more students achieve, no matter their

While Michigan has some of the finest colleges and universities in the country, our K-12 education system has fallen woefully behind most other states in preparing our students for college and careers in a 21st century knowledge economy.

background or prior educational experiences.
 
What is your dream for kids?
That every Michigan public school is a place where all children have access to great teachers, are held to high expectations, and can learn what they need in order to go to college or enter the workforce prepared to succeed. Right now in Michigan, so many of our children, particularly our low-income, African-American, and Latino children, do not have access to schools like these. Our dream is to change that.
 
What is one concrete thing that could be done to improve the environment for social sector work in Michigan?
Our nonprofit, government and private sectors need to work together more closely around a shared agenda: improving our public education system for Michigan children.
While Michigan has some of the finest colleges and universities in the country, our K-12 education system has fallen woefully behind most other states in preparing our students for college and careers in a 21st century knowledge economy. We need to invest in proven strategies to improve teaching and learning, rather than those that are politically popular or simply sound promising.
 
One concrete example of that is expected this year, when state legislators will get the opportunity to put into law a new statewide educator evaluation system that’s now being developed by a state panel of education experts. If done right, this system will provide Michigan teachers with clear, research-based information on their strengths and weaknesses, and the training and support they need to improve in the classroom.
Michigan teachers are also beginning to adapt their instruction to the Common Core State Standards, an incredible state-led initiative that will lead to deeper, more rigorous learning for our students, so they can compete for good jobs with students across the country and around the world.
 
How do you know you’re making progress?
We’ll know we’re making progress when more conversations about education are focused on children rather than adults –

We'll know we're making progress when more conversations about education are focused on children rather than adults – that is, when decisions about how to improve education are based on what is best for students...

that is, when decisions about how to improve education are based on what is best for students, even if those decisions are politically difficult. Doing this will take courage. We’ll know we are making progress when Michigan students perform better on national assessments compared with students in other states; when all students learn more in reading and math, but also in science, writing, social studies, and the arts; and when the gaps between students of different colors and income levels narrow and, eventually, close.
 
What are you most proud of?
We are proud that we can improve education policy in a nonpartisan way, which earns us credibility with policymakers on both sides of the aisle. Whether they agree with us on a particular issue or not, they know our advocacy is driven by research on what’s best for students, not ideology. We are particularly proud of our work to ensure that all teachers receive honest and reliable feedback on their performance every year, so that they can learn how to improve their practice for the benefit of their students.
 
What originally drew you to your current profession?
As a teacher in New York City Public Schools in the early 2000s, I saw the ways in which inadequacies in the public school system produced barriers to creating high-quality learning experiences for children. My students, who came from low-income families and were often many grade levels behind in reading, suffered because there were not mechanisms in place to identify weaknesses in their learning and target instruction to help them improve. I shifted to education policy so that I could more broadly shape policies that would improve instruction in the classroom. As a resident of Detroit, I am particularly passionate about improving education here in Michigan. I believe our traditional public and charter schools should be places where all students can get a high quality education, and it’s the responsibility of all of us – but particularly our state leaders – to ensure that that happens.