The Michigan Department of Education is going to be holding a set of public feedback forums <http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/MDE-ESSA_Invitation_to_Regional_Feedback_Forums_541381_7.pdf> on the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) in the coming weeks. "The public forums, entitled “Michigan’s Move to the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA),” are designed to gather input from educators, advocates, parents, students, and the public regarding specific proposed components of the nation’s new federal education law." MAME would like to invite members of the library community to attend one of these forums. ALA and AASL worked to have the school library provisions ( http://bit.ly/ESSAlib) in the federal law- ESSA; yet, each state has flexibility in how it implements ESSA provisions. MAME would like to see Michigan's ESSA Implementation plan to include as many of the provisions as possible. Please go to the MDE ESSA Feedback Forum <http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-37818_76731_76735-385563--,00.html> page for more information and to register for a forum. The dates of these meetings are as follows: - WAYNE RESA: November 29, 2016, 9:00 AM -3:15 PM - SAGINAW ISD: December 1, 2016, 9:00 AM – Noon - EASTERN UP ISD: December 1, 2016, 6:00 –8:00 PM – Also available at satellite sites across the UP. See registration form for details. - CLARE/GLADWIN RESD: December 2, 2016, 1:00 – 3:00 PM - INGHAM ISD: December 15, 2016, 9:00 AM –Noon - KENT ISD: December 16, 2016, 9:00 – 11:00 AM - JACKSON ISD: December 19, 2016, 1:30 – 3:30 PM MAME held an ESSA Focus Group session with MDE at the recent MAME Conference. MAME's presentation at this session (bit.ly/ESSAfocus) and MAME's ESSA evidence/recommendation document (bit.ly/ESSAlibev) can serve as background information if you are able to attend these meetings, if needed. Feel free to forward the information about the MDE ESSA Public Forums to other colleagues, parents, and community members. Also, if you are able to attend, MAME would love to hear that you did. You can email me to let me know. Thank you!! -Kathy Kathy Lester, MLIS, MA *Advocacy Chair, Past-President 2014* Michigan Association for Media in Education (MAME) *School Library Media Specialist / Technology Coach* East Middle School, Plymouth-Canton Schools *2012 **State Librarian's Excellence Award Winner* kathyL@mimame.org 810.333.5873