To prosper, Michigan must be a more educated place. Bridge will explore the challenges in education and identify policies and initiatives that address them.
Days after U-M’s president was shouted down by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, officials are pitching a policy that would punish students and others for disrupting university activities.
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to make preschool free and available to all families is a big task. The biggest hurdles for the state to overcome are shortages of qualified staff and too few affordable, quality child care spots for 4-year-olds.
Michigan parents are heavily encouraged but not required to send their children to kindergarten. A Democratic-sponsored bill would make kindergarten a requirement.
As the state works to solve the ongoing teacher shortage, advocates are asking legislators to fund retention efforts in addition to educator pipelines.
After school administrators said they didn’t think the proposed bills could be implemented within the required timeline, lawmakers amended the legislation to give schools more time.
MSU’s latest president, Kevin Guskiewicz, begins his term hours after Board of Trustees members take action against two of their own over ethics allegations.
Michigan’s traditional public schools continue to report declining enrollment as parents choose charter and private schools. Public school enrollment fell by 7,400 in fall of 2023 though it rose in the state’s publicly funded charter schools.
Some Michigan student loan borrowers got good news from Biden this week: their student loans are being forgiven as part of a new income-based loan repayment program.
For the first time in years, the number of recent high school graduates in Michigan has increased. Statewide, 38.2% of last year’s graduates enrolled in four-year colleges, while more than half are in some higher education.
The increase is slight, but it moves the needle following a heavy investment in affordability. At the same time, enrollment at two-year colleges decreased.
The federal government isn’t sending student financial data to schools until mid-March. That adds a time crunch to schools and students. Some schools are easing deadlines.
Michigan is one of 11 states that doesn’t require parents to notify school or state officials when they homeschool children. Suggestions to count students has prompted an outcry from homeschoolers.
Most, but not all, classroom doors now can be locked from the inside, but work on a centralized video system and other upgrades are still years away after a mass shooting revealed security gaps on campus.
CMU President Bob Davies negotiated a contract shortly before announcing his retirement that pays him through at least 2026, including at least $500,000 in deferred compensation.