The Children's Defense Fund said that 8.3 percent of Michigan children had no health insurance during the three years from 1993 through 1995. These initiatives include special review teams and easing of confidentiality rules when needed to protect children from harm . On April 1, southeast Michigan became the first region in the state to go on line with the Michigan Childhood Immunization Registry. When the rest of the state goes on line this fall, Michigan will become the first state in the nation to implement a comprehensive statewide registry accessible to both public and private sector providers. The registry is a tool to help achieve and maintain a goal of full immunization protection for 100 percent of our youngest children.
Action leads to results .
When President Clinton visited Michigan in March, Governor Engler volunteered our state to be a national model for tests the President has proposed . In addition, he accepted the President's challenge to open more charter schools . The Center for Education Reform recently rated Michigan's charter school law as the third-strongest of the 26 states with similar legislation. With 11,850 students enrolled in 76 schools, Michigan has the nation's third highest number of charter schools and students. In addition, two out of three citizens said that charter schools improved the quality of education locally.