Phil Power

“What is the sound of one hand clapping?” Among other things, this famous Zen riddle suggests that some problems are extremely complex – and may require more than one approach to a solution. That’s an important notion when it comes to how to get seriously better outcomes in student learning, especially for urban schools that […]

After seven years of savage budget cuts, the governor seeks a 6 percent hike in higher-ed spending, a cap on tuition and $65 million more for pre-K, moves that are politically shrewd and necessary for Michigan .

An unprecedented collaboration among Michigan’s most trust nonprofit news organizations will help state residents understand the roots of Detroit’s crisis and provide insights relevant to all Michiganders.

This arctic January has all of us thinking back to winters past. Has the 'polar vortex' made this the coldest, snowiest winter for you? Maybe you should try winter in Alaska…

(photo illustration by AJ Jones) Gov. Rick Snyder likes to describe himself as “one tough nerd.” He is also widely and accurately regarded as a numbers guy. And his annual State of the State speech last week was, indeed, true to type. There was none of the soaring rhetoric of his predecessor, Gov. Jennifer Granholm. […]

Last Sunday, the New York Times published an in-depth article on the rapidly growing number of states in which one political party – usually the GOP – controls all of state government. That’s now the case in Michigan, where Republican Rick Snyder is governor and the GOP runs both houses of the legislature, and has […]

When politicians don’t want people to notice what they’re doing, they often do it at a time when they think few are paying attention. So it was no surprise that Gov. Rick Snyder chose to sign the highly controversial Senate Bill 661 on the Friday between Christmas and New Year’s, when most folks’ minds weren’t […]

There’s no doubt about one thing: Michigan needs a better educated workforce, more now than ever. Yet one of the abiding mysteries of the past dozen years is the strange reluctance of our state’s leaders to invest in our future by investing in our citizens’ brain power at colleges and universities. “Reluctance,” in fact, isn’t […]

Three weeks ago, before the political life of Michigan got interrupted for important things (Thanksgiving, turkey, football) we were treated to a bombshell from Secretary of State Ruth Johnson. Responding to a request by the State Bar of Michigan to require public disclosure of donors who sponsor millions in so-called “issue ads” in judicial elections, […]

Thanksgiving week is a time to remember, to reflect, to give thanks. Last Friday marked the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination. When it happened I was a student at Oxford University in England. For me and for many others, the events of that day are frozen in my memory: cold, still, horrible. […]