Education
Susan J. Demas: Dear Michigan Republicans: Your party never wins government shutdowns
Michigan is a mere 22 days away from a government shutdown (but who’s counting?) and you might be confused as to why. It’s actually pretty simple. From a policy standpoint, Michigan has chronically underinvested for decades — but most egregiously under the GOP in the last decade of relative economic prosperity — in core areas […]
Study: Low-income, students of color squeezed in Michigan’s college affordability crisis
A new study shows that Michigan’s public universities and community colleges are facing an affordability crisis, which has especially hit low-income families hard. The study from the New York-based progressive think tank the Century Foundation shows how rising tuitions and cuts in state funding create barriers for students to receive higher education. “The report shows […]
Updated: University of Michigan backtracks on STI test coverage
Updated, 8:27 p.m., 9/6/19 The University of Michigan has reportedly reversed course on covering students’ sexually transmitted infections (STIs) tests.* After the university enacted a new policy that STI testing through University Health Services (UHS) was no longer covered by tuition costs, E. Royster Harper, vice president of Student Life, and UHS Executive Director Robert […]
Feds hit MSU with $4.5M fine as provost abruptly resigns
The Larry Nassar and William Strampel scandals continue to plague Michigan State University. The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) has determined that the university failed to comply with federal standards to sexual assault and discrimination and will levy a record $4.5 million fine against the institution. The DOE report led to the immediate resignation of […]
ACLU calls for revisions to University of Michigan’s student sexual misconduct policy
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan and the ACLU Women’s Rights Project on Thursday called for revisions to the University of Michigan’s student sexual misconduct policy via a letter sent to administration officials. The policy in question was revised in 2018 to allow students to be given “an in-person hearing” if they are […]
Benton Harbor school board pushes back vote for advisory board
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
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 […]
Column: Schools can’t afford to wait as the Legislature drags its feet on the budget
As schools throughout the metro Detroit area have begun to open their doors to students again, they’re doing so with an unusual and alarming amount of guesswork involved. Instead of spending the summer months implementing their budget planning for the new year, including filling critically important teaching and support staff positions, school administrators were instead […]
Betsy DeVos to address Michigan GOP conference
U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, a Michigan native and former chair of the Michigan Republican Party, will make a return to the state next month. The party announced on Friday that DeVos will be a speaker at the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in late September at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. https://www.michiganadvance.com/blog/congressional-leader-kevin-mccarthy-to-speak-at-michigan-gop-confab/ DeVos is […]
Study: Michigan teachers spend $628 of their own money on school supplies
Michigan teachers spend more out-of-pocket on school supplies than their counterparts in any other state, except for California. Data analyzed by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a liberal Washington, D.C. think tank, show Michigan teachers shell out an average of $628 of their own money on classroom supplies every year. That’s almost $200 more than […]
Column: We need to focus on kids’ strengths in school and beyond
Seeing all those back-to-school posts on Facebook is making me more than a little misty this year. As a mom, I know my days of having a “little kid” are dwindling. And as a former teacher, I feel a rush of emotions. Guilt about not being there for my students. Sadness about missing out on […]
Michigan ranks 44th nationally in per-resident support for higher ed
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 […]