Author

Allison R. Donahue is a former Michigan Advance reporter who covered education, women's issues and LGBTQ issues. Previously, she was a suburbs reporter at the St. Cloud Times in St. Cloud, Minn., covering local education and government. As a graduate of Grand Valley State University, she has previous experience as a freelance researcher for USA Today and an intern with WOOD TV-8.
Benton Harbor school board pushes back vote for advisory board
By: Allison R. Donahue - September 4, 2019
The new school year at Benton Harbor Area Schools started this week, and the fate of Benton Harbor High School is still unclear. The school board decided to push back the vote to form a Community Engagement and Advisory Committee at Tuesday night’s work session. The district met with the Michigan Department of Treasury in […]
54% of Michigan 3rd graders not reading proficiently
By: Allison R. Donahue - September 3, 2019
After a number of initiatives to improve literacy in Michigan’s elementary schools, students are still struggling to meet the state’s proficiency standard. According to data released by the state Department of Education, Michigan schools are still falling below the expectations based on results from the M-STEP, a standardized test given to students in the third […]
Dems decry Trump’s rhetoric at ‘Take on Hate’ rally
By: Allison R. Donahue - August 30, 2019
Several Michigan Democrats and more than 40 organizations rallied in Dearborn Thursday night to combat the rise of “hateful rhetoric.” The small event of about 100 people gathered at the University of Michigan-Dearborn titled, “Take on Hate,” was spearheaded by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-Dearborn), and included her colleagues U.S. Reps. Andy Levin (D-Bloomfield Twp.) […]
Michigan ranks 44th nationally in per-resident support for higher ed
By: Allison R. Donahue - August 29, 2019
New data shows Michigan is one of the worst states in the country in financially supporting public universities. For the Fiscal Year 2019, Michigan ranked 44th nationally in per-resident support for higher education, according to data compiled by the Center for the Study of Education Policy at Illinois State University and the State Higher Education […]
Group already organizing repeal effort of 2 anti-abortion ballot proposals
By: Allison R. Donahue - August 28, 2019
Updated, 4:30 p.m., 8/28/19 As organizers of two anti-abortion ballot initiatives are gathering signatures around the state, a new group is working to put together a repeal referendum in case they’re successful. The Michigan Heartbeat Coalition’s proposal would ban abortions at the first sign of cardiac activity, usually within the first six to eight weeks. […]
Julián Castro does Michigan Dems fundraising pitch
By: Allison R. Donahue - August 28, 2019
Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro encouraged voters to donate to the Michigan Democratic Party in an email Tuesday night. “Having this support is helpful for us to have our national voices pointing to the work we are doing in Michigan,” said MDP spokesman Paul Kanan. “The people in our state need to know that our […]