Students who had spent their lives preparing for active shooters experience the terror of one. Many are still shaken. Some wonder if they should return to school.
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 inTalent & Education
MSU Student: My story shows what MSU still doesn’t get about sexual assault
Michigan State University senior Miranda Dunlap wrote a column this week in the student paper about her own painful experience reporting sexual assault to the school. In a Q and A, she tells Bridge how the school can improve the process.
Posted inTalent & Education
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pitches 9 percent boost in Michigan school spending
The Democratic governor now has a Democratic Legislature and a giant budget surplus to pursue education priorities, including individualized tutoring, universal pre-school and other progressive policies.
Posted inTalent & Education
What is Michigan’s free pre-K program for 4-year-olds? Q+A with an expert
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer wants to expand the state’s free preschool program to all 4-year-olds, regardless of income. An MSU researcher who studies the Great Start Readiness Program explains what makes it work.
Posted inTalent & Education
Gretchen Whitmer wants free preschool for all. But is Michigan ready?
Universal pre-K is good for kids and the economy. But it’s expensive and the state faces several hurdles, including teacher shortages and a lack of transportation options for the 4-year-olds.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan Senate panel removes flunking from third grade reading law
Democratic lawmakers are moving quickly to remove the part of the state’s third grade reading law that requires students a year or more behind to repeat the grade. The bill passed out of a Senate committee Tuesday.
Posted inTalent & Education
Can more cash transform Michigan’s middling schools? We may find out soon
A once-in-a-generation influx of money is allowing education advocates to debate reforms to a school system that has underperformed for decades
Posted inTalent & Education
In Alpena, a bold effort to graduate more high-level Michigan nurses
Resolving a long turf war, Michigan now allows local community colleges to offer four-year bachelor’s degrees in nursing through partnerships with universities. The program allows more students to stay close to home, helping them and their community.
Posted inTalent & Education
College enrollments stay down in Michigan. Blame paychecks and the pandemic?
Community colleges sustain the biggest drop, but the percentage of recent high school graduates at four-year schools remains well below pre-COVID levels.
Posted inTalent & Education
Gretchen Whitmer: Expand Michigan Reconnect program for community college
The Michigan Reconnect program currently pays for students age 25 and over to attend their in-district community college tuition free. Gov. Whitmer wants to expand the program to younger Michiganders.