Talent & Education

If passed, the Republican bill could impact thousands of additional students across two grades next year. Critics say expanding the controversial law is a mistake, given the disruption to learning among all grade levels during the pandemic.

There’s high demand for the Whitmer administration’s Michigan Reconnect program, which pays tuition and some fees for residents at community colleges. It’s unclear how many will follow through to enrollment and finish their degree.

Facing a crucial post-pandemic school year, Michigan leaders are exploring ways to bolster a dwindling teacher corps, from loan forgiveness programs to boosting starting pay.

While the small Calhoun College is the first to require vaccinations, it may not be the last.

With Michigan facing a widening teacher shortage, the state superintendent suggested a rule tweak with huge ramifications: waive the 150 hours of training ex-teachers are required to take to return to classrooms.

Michigan school superintendents are 95 percent white and less than 4 percent Black. And while teachers are 77 percent female, superintendents are 77 percent male. State leaders say it’s hard to find diverse candidates. Minority leaders see other factors at work.

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona says there’s a ‘sense of urgency’ to reopen schools following a year of halted learning because of the pandemic.

Michigan schools must offer the annual standardized test, but, because of the pandemic, not all students have to take it. That could make the results less useful than normal.

A dinner among drivers and pre-K staffers forced quarantines just as students were set to return to school. It’s the latest example of the frustrating, sometimes futile efforts to keep Michigan schools open.

Even with most teachers vaccinated, many Michigan schools are struggling to stay open because of outbreaks among students and COVID community spread.

Michigan plans to distribute thousands of doses of the one-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine to public and private colleges in coming days, in hopes of immunizing students before they leave campuses as the school year ends.

Michigan schools must give the state standardized test, but fewer students might take it this year than normal. State education officials contend pandemic learning was too chaotic this year to yield an accurate portrait of student achievement.

Districts spotlighted in the audit couldn’t prove that new teachers had been assigned mentors or that teachers’ annual evaluations were based on a classroom visit — both of which are legal requirements.

Coronavirus outbreaks in schools increased after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed winter sports like basketball and wrestling to resume. Was it worth it?

Despite the superhuman efforts of teachers, many students are falling through the cracks faster than they can be pulled up and out.

Superintendents throughout Michigan are begging students and parents to stay vigilant on spring break — or face more closures.

Michigan’s standardized test is a few weeks away, and schools are preparing to administer it. But it still could be canceled because of COVID-19, and officials aren’t sure which students will be required to take it.

The number of Michigan teachers who are leaving classrooms is up 40 percent this school year compared to typical years, as the stress of pandemic teaching drives some to retire or resign.

The United Ways’ ALICE report, released Tuesday, illustrates the gulf in Michigan between having a job and having a job that pays enough to support workers and families. The most in-demand job going forward: fast food.

With coronavirus cases surging, some Michigan schools are temporarily moving back to online learning. There’s no sign of a statewide school shutdown, though.