Dive Brief:

• After three years running Michigan's Education Achievement Authority, Dr. John Covington has resigned as chancellor, citing his ailing mother as the reason.    
• Covington was hired in September 2011 to manage 15 low-performing Detroit schools that were taken over my the state
• The EAA board has selected Veronica Conforme as its interim chancellor.  Conforme hails from New Orleans and according to the Times-Picayune she withdrew from the city's superintendent contest in order to take the Detroit position.  

Dive Insight:

The district has received widespread criticism recently. Allegations of budget misspending, enrollment drops, and decreasing test scores have plagued the district this year. The negative press the EAA has received as of late makes it easy to understand another side of why Covington may have wanted out. He is likely to be criticized for bailing, as he also resigned from his position as superintendent of of the Kansas City, Missouri school district to take the job heading the EAA. That district was also struggling, and right after Covington left, Missouri stripped it of its accreditation status.  

Given the troubles facing the state-run district, whoever fills Covington's shoes will have a lot of eyes on them. The decision to go with Veronica Conforme of New Orleans is not surprising to many who recognize similarities between its own state-run school district and the EAA.