The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday that states can’t give taxpayer funds to some private schools while excluding religious schools. Legal experts say it won’t immediately impact Michigan, but opens the door to broader school choice.
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
Michigan sends money to help Oxford ‘heal,’ improve safety at other schools
Oxford Community Schools will be able to use the new state funding for staffing to help traumatized students, as well as for repairs to the high school in the wake of the deadly shooting.
Posted inTalent & Education
House rejects tutoring bill. What’s next for Michigan’s struggling students?
Rep. Julie Alexander’s bill would have given students up to $1,500 to spend on tutoring and other education expenses. Democrats call it a voucher program. Where does tutoring stand in Michigan now?
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan lawmakers advance bill to limit how race is taught in schools
Amid the national debate about “critical race theory,” Michigan lawmakers weigh a bill to prohibit teaching of “race or gender stereotyping.” Critics say it’s a distraction.
Posted inMichigan Government
Studies: Betsy DeVos’ Let MI Kids Learn may help some, but promises overstated
A petition drive for a voucher-like scholarship system faces a pivotal week. Research from other states show the programs may get more students into college and don’t drain state coffers, but scholars disagree on impact.
Posted inTalent & Education
These low-income Michigan schools get students into college. Here’s how.
High costs, complicated forms, and only an abstract notion of what college is like. These are all barriers to low-income students applying to two- or four-year colleges. But 19 Michigan high schools are beating the odds. They cite three similar keys to their success.
Posted inTalent & Education
At Hillsdale library, resignations and alarms about politics, pedophilia
Until recently, nobody much cared about library board meetings. But as the culture wars expand into what books are suitable for children, a raucous weeknight board meeting in tiny Hillsdale underscores the political divide.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan Gov. Whitmer proposes $280 million tutoring investment
The proposal, which requires approval from Republican lawmakers, marks a shift for state leaders who have not previously emphasized tutoring as an academic recovery tool.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan may loosen school language requirements in favor of computers, finance
Programming and personal finance classes would count toward graduation requirements under pending legislation. Backers say it would better prepare students; foes say computers are no substitute for language.
Posted inTalent & Education
Chelsea Clinton visits Wayne County to push parents’ role in child literacy
Child advocates are working to find ways to ensure that low-income parents spend more time talking, reading, singing and interacting with their children.