The number of Michigan teachers who are leaving classrooms is up 40 percent this school year compared to typical years, as the stress of pandemic teaching drives some to retire or resign.
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
Michigan schools reopened. Then came a spike in COVID outbreaks
With coronavirus cases surging, some Michigan schools are temporarily moving back to online learning. There’s no sign of a statewide school shutdown, though.
Posted inTalent & Education
As COVID spread, far fewer Michigan high school grads enrolled in college
The enrollment drop last fall was particularly pronounced among Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, groups hit hard by the pandemic and the resulting economic strain. See how college enrollment rates in your school district changed in 2020.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan GOP: Cancel standardized tests and 3rd grade reading law this year
With just one month before students are to take the state M-STEP, it’s uncertain what test they’ll take, or whether Michigan’s read-or-flunk law for third graders makes sense during a pandemic.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan advertised free community college. Nearly 170,000 have applied.
State officials and colleges are learning what marketing experts have known for years: “Free” is a powerful draw.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan’s game-changing preschool program ‘untenable’ without more funding
The Great Start Readiness Program offers state-funded preschool for 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. But funding hasn’t been boosted since 2014, leaving school districts to make up the difference.
Posted inQuality of Life
How $1.9 trillion COVID stimulus plan will impact Michigan
The extraordinary package expected to come to a U.S. House vote as soon as Tuesday provides months of economic protection to households across Michigan, too much say some critics. Here are some ways families, schools and businesses will be impacted.
Posted inTalent & Education
Free college tuition in Michigan: Which schools offer what
With a blizzard of new “free tuition” programs, it can be confusing who qualifies for what and where. Here’s a place to start your research on the real cost of higher education across Michigan.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan free college tuition programs spread across the state
Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s programs offering tuition-free community college to low-income students and frontline workers have fueled a race among four-year universities to promote similar deals. Millions of Michigan residents can now qualify for free or deeply discounted degrees.
Posted inTalent & Education
Michigan State plans in-person class, ‘more typical’ fall as COVID ebbs
A massive vaccination program has given MSU hope to return to something close to normal in the fall. But as with everything in the pandemic, those plans are subject to change.