McGraw Hill Education sold to Investment Fund

It was reported today that McGraw-Hill Education has been sold to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO). When the deal closes, the company will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial, and will focus on developing as a high-growth, high-margin benchmarks, content and analytics company in the global capital and commodities markets. 

Read more about this transaction.

Michigan Public Education Finance Project Draft Legislation (1)

This proposed Michigan Public Education Finance Act  would replace the School Aid Act of 1979, the law that governs public education funding. The Oxford Foundation has funded the research and development of the draft bill. This Act is expected to be introduced as part of Gov. Rick Snyder's budget presenting in February.  According to its website, The Oxford Foundation focuses on projects that “lessen the burdens of government,” The Foundation has a four-person board of directors, which it is rather secretive about and they do not provide information on Board members identities on their website. One of those members is Richard D. McLellan, Chairman of the Michigan Law Revision Commission. Mr. McLellan is also a member of the Board of Directors of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy and the Cornerstone Foundation, both conservative organizations.

There is an interesting memo from July 2012 addressed to the "education community" from the Oxford Foundation regarding the development of this draft.

According to the Oxford Foundation's site, the Oxford Foundation was asked by Governor Snyler to propose a new act to replace the current act. Mary Kay Shields, Chief Deputy Director of The Governor John Engler Center for Charter Schools and Peter Ruddell of Wiener Associates (a full service governmental affairs law firm) are identified as members of this project and had a hand in the development of this Act's language. Perhaps they are 2 of the board members?

New Book: Is everyone really equal? : an introduction to key concepts in social justice education

"This practical handbook will introduce readers to social justice education, providing tools for developing “critical social justice literacy” and for taking action towards a more just society. Accessible to students from high school through graduate school, this book offers a collection of detailed and engaging explanations of key concepts in social justice education, including critical thinking, socialization, group identity, prejudice, discrimination, oppression, power, privilege, and White supremacy. Based on extensive experience in a range of settings in the United States and Canada, the authors address the most common stumbling blocks to understanding social justice. They provide recognizable examples, scenarios, and vignettes illustrating these concepts."

Request it from our library catalog: http://elibrary.wayne.edu/record=b4366702~S47

Find out more about the book at: http://store.tcpress.com/080775269X.shtml