Michigan and the rest of the country suffered enrollment declines during the pandemic. But new data shows the state is recovering slower than just about any other state, presenting a challenge to Michigan’s economic growth.
Isabel Lohman
Isabel Lohman reports on early childhood, K-12 and higher education for Bridge Michigan, tracking how policies made in Lansing affect students and educators. She has closely reported on literacy, absenteeism and special education. Isabel was a finalist for the Society of Professional Journalists Detroit's 2026 Young Journalist of the Year award. Before joining Bridge, she covered children's issues for the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tennessee, reporting on COVID-19 in schools and communities coping with gun violence.
Isabel grew up outside of Chicago and has a bachelor's degree from the University of Missouri. She moved to Ann Arbor in 2022.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Records: MSU shooting lockdown delayed 10 minutes by miscommunication
A sergeant sought a campus-wide lockdown 2 minutes into the shooting, reports show. By the time it was finally issued, another student was killed.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Michigan Democrats vote to give teachers more say in classroom placement
How much discretion should teachers have in which classes they teach? Unions want the ability to bargain on teacher placement, evaluations and more.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Teach for America launches Michigan teacher retention and training program
What does it take to keep a Michigan teacher in the classroom? In a time of teacher shortages, Teach for America Detroit is partnering with six districts to pay teachers up to $35K in bonuses for training.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Reading tutors are helping in Ypsilanti, if only there were more of them
Ypsilanti is like a lot of Michigan school districts: lots of struggling young readers and not nearly enough tutors to help them catch up. Federal pandemic funds are available, but staffing levels remain a hindrance.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Book bans move from sex to war, as west Michigan school removes ‘Jarhead’
The Hudsonville Public Schools has pulled the Gulf War memoir over concerns it is too violent. ‘It’s a book about war,’ the author says.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Michigan Democrats want to give teachers more say in classroom assignments
In a set of union-backed bills, Democrats would give teachers a stronger voice in the classes they teach, and would make evaluations subject to bargaining. Superintendents say the bills would put union seniority ahead of what’s best for students.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Grand Rapids schools add backpack ban after gun found in third-grader’s bag
Grand Rapids Public Schools is adding a backpack ban after confiscating a gun from a student. The superintendent says it’s a ‘drastic’ but necessary step.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
New report provides safety recommendations for Oxford High after shooting
The report found current security levels at the school are appropriate and surpass those at most schools. But it also recommended some additional steps, including more consistent questions about access to weapons for students undergoing threat assessments.
Posted inMichigan Education Watch
Michigan State shooting update: John Hao attends 76ers game as guest of star James Harden
The latest reliable news about the Feb. 13 shooting that killed three students and injured five others before the suspected gunman killed himself.
