Talent & Education

As students and schools try to recover from the pandemic, Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Republican challenger Tudor Dixon have vastly different plans for how to improve Michigan schools and colleges.

MSU researchers found the negative effects of remote learning persisted even after students returned to classrooms last year, though these performance gaps shrunk once most classrooms reopened.

The Dearborn Public Schools board needed a larger auditorium to hold the hundreds of parents, residents and teachers who arrived Thursday to argue over whether six book titles should remain on school library shelves.

The Democratic governor cites unprecedented investments in public schools during her first term. But her aggressive COVID pandemic policies, including school closures, have fueled conservative attacks on her leadership.

The GOP nominee for governor leans strongly into culture-war issues that are now Republican mainstream, including restrictions on LGBTQ books and critical race theory. Parents, she said, are too often left out of school curriculum decisions.

The form, previewed on Twitter, is simple and short, and is expected to be officially released later this month. It promises to save Michigan borrowers up to $10,000 or even $20,000 in student debt.

After weeks of tension with the Board of Trustees, MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. said he had lost confidence in the board, accusing some trustees of “micromanagement.” He is the third MSU president in five years to resign for issues related to Title IX compliance.

People with college degrees tend to make more money than those without them. Which is why the governor and legislature passed measures to cut tuition. Some schools are going further: eliminating book fees, financial red tape and other obstacles to graduation.

There will be a lot of money for college on the table for high school seniors graduating next year. But first, they need to fill out forms.

Local school boards across Michigan are seeing more candidates running on LGBTQ books, transgender rights and history curricula than on the more prosaic concerns of school leaders, including budgets and boosting student achievement.

Michigan’s regional universities report higher first-year numbers following years of decline, made worse by COVID. CMU and EMU say they are also recruiting harder overseas.

U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker denied a challenge to the state’s constitutional ban on taxpayer funds being used for private education. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation said it would appeal the Friday ruling.

A Michigan native, Brock Tessman comes to the job from Montana. His priorities when he begins Feb. 1 include increasing enrollment, ensuring more students get degrees and improving opportunities for rural students.

State lawmakers approved a scholarship plan to provide up to $5,500 per year per student. Some 75 percent of Michigan students would be eligible.

Voters will elect two candidates apiece for the boards of each of Michigan’s largest universities. The currently unfilled positions wield enormous influence.

Districts are heeding expert warnings of a “perfect storm” of economic uncertainty fueled by inflation, enrollment declines, the threat of recession, and expiring federal aid.

EMU faculty union members are one step closer to having a new contract with their university. The deal came after a faculty strike that disrupted three days of classes and includes pay and benefit hikes.

Superintendents will be counting Michigan students Oct. 5, but many children will be out of school observing a major Jewish holiday. It’s a crucial day for Michigan school districts trying to maximize state funding, but this year it coincides with Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year when the observant fast, pray, and abstain from work and school.

From debates about finances and transparency to race and gender, Michigan parents are demanding more input in what kids learn and read. But some say they’ve taken the fight too far.

Large, rural school districts make for long, expensive bus routes that eat up budgets. Attracting teachers can be difficult and high-speed internet is hard to find. Consolidation saves money but residents fear loss of community.