Michigan state school superintendent Brian Whiston has an aggressive plan to morph state schools into the best in the country.

According to Mlive.com, the state Department of Education released an outline of proposed strategies to turn Michigan into a top 10 education state within the next decade.

Whiston and officials from the Michigan Department of Education detailed seven goals for the state’s K-12 school system as well as higher education in Michigan that will make significant differences.

Recently taking over as the state’s education leader this past July, Whiston has been instrumental in creating the draft for goals and strategies of the proposed changes.

Some of the goals include better support of teachers and advancing instruction in the classroom. Expounding upon the latter a little, it sounds as if teachers may be under greater scrutiny or will be given guidance from the state on how to teach.

That’s not entirely true, obviously, but the state did give a little insight into what it has planned. One goal is for school districts to develop relationships between parents, students, and teachers. It also calls for all three to create a plan for the student’s education.

There is also a section that may change how some charter schools operate by giving parents more access to lesson plans and give instructions to teachers.

Other strategies include an idea to boost mental and physical health services that are available to students, getting students ready for college by creating higher standards, and improving school conditions for teachers.

Whiston and the Michigan Department of Education also want to potentially increase teacher pay. At least that’s how it may be perceived when one states that teachers deserve “more support.”

In the end, Michigan will have to do a lot more in defining the goals set to improve the state’s education system. But at least there is a plan in place to address some of the issues that students and educators face.