Low-income students aren’t going to college at the rates they were before the pandemic. Is it time for the state to make higher ed more affordable?
Ron French
Ron reports on a variety of subjects across the state. Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron graduated from Purdue University. He reported for newspapers across Indiana before moving to Michigan in 1995. Ron lives in Okemos, and like the true Michigander he’s become, he now has a family cabin Up North. You can reach him at rfrench@bridgemi.com or 517-214-3636.
Posted inTalent & Education
Q & A: Small-town Michigan superintendent tells why he is mandating masks
With no state mandate, local Michigan superintendents are being forced to make tough decisions on whether to require face masks to protect against COVID this fall. The debate is dividing communities like Eaton Rapids.
Posted inTalent & Education
State’s top doc to Whitmer: School mask mandate would reduce COVID in Michigan
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who said she would “follow the science” on pandemic policy, is apparently not following the advice of her chief medical officer on school face mask mandates.
Posted inTalent & Education
Gov. Whitmer urges Michigan schools to mask up, stops short of mandate
Decisions on whether masks will be required in classrooms this fall will be left up to local districts, despite CDC and state pleas for them to mask up.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan schools can’t fill teacher aide jobs: ‘There are no applicants.’
Job seekers can make almost as much at McDonald’s as they can working as a special education paraprofessional, making the vital but sometimes stressful jobs a tough sell for Michigan school districts.
Posted inTalent & Education
Wayne State University issues vaccine mandate; Central Michigan requires masks
Colleges and universities had expected a normal return to campus this fall but the Delta variant of COVID-19 is scrambling their plans. Businesses like auto manufacturers also are adding mask mandates.
Posted inTalent & Education
Q and A: How the pandemic stunted Michigan low-income college enrollment
High school grads on the fence about going to college didn’t get much personal contact with advisors and college representatives last school year because of the pandemic. The result is predictable and sobering.
Posted inTalent & Education
University of Michigan, MSU require vaccinations for fall; others may follow
Citing the rise in coronavirus cases in parts of the country, U-M and Michigan State University will mandate proof of COVID vaccinations for all students, staff and faculty.
Posted inTalent & Education
State, feds suggest masks in classrooms. Michigan schools aren’t so sure.
Unless masks are mandated by government authorities, it’s unlikely most Michigan school districts will require face masks in classrooms this fall, say school leaders.
Posted inTalent & Education
Deadline nears for thousands of Michigan residents offered free tuition
Futures for Frontliners gave essential workers in the early months of the COVID pandemic a shot at free community college. Some are on campuses, but many more have yet to complete financial forms that would free them of tuition payments.