Michigan has been at the center of controversy recently regarding education law and policy. In July the American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan (ACLU) [official website] filed a lawsuit alleging that the state of Michigan and the Highland Park school district violated state and federal law by failing to ensure that students are reading at grade level [JURIST report]. According to the ACLU two-thirds of students in the Highland Park School District lack the basic reading skills to pass Michigan proficiency standards. The lawsuit, apparently the first of its kind, requested immediate help from the state [press release], including research-based methods of instruction, highly trained educators and administrators, a process for monitoring progress, new educational materials and textbooks and a clean and safe learning environment.