Julie Western looks through a stack of resumes for teacher openings at Croswell-Lexington school district. (Photo by Ron French) Julie Western slaps a stack of resumes on the desk of Superintendent Kevin Miller. Croswell-Lexington, a rural school district in the thumb, posted a single teacher opening on their website. A week later, they’re swamped with […]
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 inSpecial report
Teaching in Windsor: A few miles away, a world apart
Kristen and Eric Wideen have taught in Michigan and Ontario, and believe Michigan’s lower student test scores are linked to the state’s teacher training system. (Photo by Ron French) Eric and Kristen Wideen are among a small number of teachers who’ve led classrooms on both sides of the Ambassador Bridge, and the differences run far deeper […]
Posted inTalent & Education
MLK’s dream not yet realized at college graduation – it’s not even close
Why is one of these college students more likely to graduate than the other? Michigan colleges are struggling to figure it out. (Bridge photo by Monique Belser) Paulette Granberry Russell remembers walking on the sprawling campus of Michigan State University as a scared, under-prepared freshman. “I was an African-American woman and first-generation (to attend college […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Forgoing summer vacation, parents swamp year-round school
A third of elementary students are enrolled in a year-round program at Croswell-Lexington Community Schools in Sanilac County. Students attend classes the same number of days as those enrolled on a traditional school calendar, but instead of a long summer break during which learning is lost, they have a series of three-week breaks. Third grade […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Stockton, Vallejo warn Detroit: You ain’t seen nothin’ yet
With Detroit running out of money and options, Bridge visited two cities in California that have had their own fiscal woes – Stockton and Vallejo – to assess the impact of bankruptcy on neighborhood life. (Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) STOCKTON, Calif. – Here in Stockton, the standard postcards show a palm-lined City Center, without revealing that […]
Posted inMichigan Government
In Vallejo, residents rally to protect themselves
SORTA SILVER LINING: When bankruptcy led to vastly reduced police patrols in Vallejo, Calif., the number of neighborhood watch groups exploded from nine to more than 400. (Bridge photo/Ron French) VALLEJO, Calif. – The break-ins and the squatters in her middle-class neighborhood were bad enough. But when prostitutes began offering – and performing – […]
Posted inTalent & Education
One-two punch for Michigan students: more loans, high interest rates
AND AFTER COLLEGE?: All the money being borrowed by college students in Michigan — $1.9 billion in one year alone — poses a significant threat to future economic growth says Mitch Bean of Great Lakes Economic Consulting. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) Michigan’s student debt problem is getting worse, with college kids borrowing almost […]
Posted inChildren & Families
Why are Michigan’s child abuse/neglect rates so high?
ALL TOO COMMON: Michigan has one of the nation’s highest rates for child abuse and neglect, according to the most recent state figures. Child welfare officials and advocates have theories as to why, but there’s no consensus explanation. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) The number of abused and neglected Michigan children rose in recent […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Thousands of low-income, minority students missing out on college-prep classes
(courtesy photo) Only 3 percent of low-income and African-American high school students in Michigan are enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes that help them get a toehold in college. That’s one of the lowest rates in the nation, according to a study conducted by Education Trust. The AP gap puts an estimated 12,000 poor and […]
Posted inTalent & Education
On horizon for preschools: More public-private partnerships
MACKINAC ISLAND — Legislators had barely made it to Mackinac Island after passing an historic increase in funding for early childhood education before discussion turned to what happens next. A panel today predicted more public-private partnerships in pre-K for 4-year-olds and investment in brain development at even earlier ages could be on the horizon if […]