MASSP Presents 2026 Impact Awards to Four Legislators for Advancing Student-Focused Education Policy

LANSING, MI — The Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals presented Impact Awards to four legislators in recognition of their bipartisan leadership in advancing legislative policies that strengthen teaching and learning in Michigan’s secondary schools.
The awards were presented to Senator Dayna Polehanki and Representatives Mark Tisdel, Tom Kunse, and Matt Koleszar during MASSP’s Board of Directors meeting on March 10 at the Michigan Capitol.
“We know we can’t legislate learning, but strong policy can create the conditions for success, enabling both educators and students to thrive,” said Colin Ripmaster, Deputy Executive Director of MASSP. “The policies championed by these legislators collectively represent a tangible return of instructional time to students and educators. Protecting instructional time is fundamentally about protecting opportunity for students.”
Representative Mark Tisdel was recognized for his leadership in advancing statewide legislation addressing student cell phone use during instructional time. The new law establishes clear and consistent expectations intended to empower educators to reengage students with learning and create school environments where students can choose presence over distraction.
Senator Dayna Polehanki, Chair of the Senate Education Committee, was honored for helping advance both the cell phone legislation and reforms to the state’s work skills assessment requirements. Her work in shaping bipartisan compromise and championing assessment changes helped move these policies forward.
Representative Tom Kunse was recognized for sponsoring and guiding legislation eliminating the SAT Essay and removing the requirement that students’ Michigan Merit Examination (MME) scores appear on high school transcripts. His leadership in advancing the bills through the House ensured the policies could move from proposal to passage.
Representative Matt Koleszar was honored for his leadership in developing, sponsoring, and advancing the SAT-related reforms in partnership with Representative Kunse. The legislation addresses
long-standing concerns from school leaders regarding unnecessary testing requirements and transcript mandates.
“We appreciate the partnership demonstrated by these legislators and their willingness to engage with school leaders,” said Wendy Zdeb, Executive Director of MASSP. “When policymakers and educators work together, students are the ones who benefit the most.”
Collectively, the enacted measures will reduce standardized testing for 11th graders by as much as four hours (nearly 50 percent of required testing time) and effectively recapture a full day of instruction for students and educators. The policies will also allow students to truly apply to college test-optional and create space for more focused classroom engagement.
All of the legislative measures recognized by the 2026 MASSP Impact Awards are scheduled to take effect in the 2026–27 school year.
“Michigan’s secondary principals lead complex organizations that shape the learning experiences of more than one million students every day,” Ripmaster added. “MASSP looks forward to continuing to partner with policymakers to build the capacity of principals and other building leaders and advance teaching and learning in every community across the state.”