How long will they student teach? It depends on which university they attend. From left to right, Haslett student teachers Kayli Carter (GVSU), Melissa Lynch (CMU), Sam Georgi (MSU), Justine Dailey (CMU) Anaite Castaneda (MSU). (Bridge photo by Ron French) Theory ran into reality the day Melissa Lynch walked into a fifth-grade class in Haslett, […]
Ron French
Ron French is the senior enterprise reporter at Bridge Michigan, covering a wide range of topics including rural communities, federal policy impacts, education and public health. Born and raised in Indiana, Ron came to Bridge in 2011 from The Detroit News, where he was a project reporter, and previously reported for newspapers across Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University.
Rooted in Okemos, Ron has become a true Michigander — complete with a family cabin Up North.
Posted inSpecial report
Passing Michigan’s teacher tests is a breeze – and learning suffers
The state’s teacher certification exam was “a joke,” says Godwin Heights second-year teacher Kelly Compher. “The tests don’t measure what happens in a classroom.” (Photo by Ron French) You don’t have to take Michigan’s basic skills teacher certification exam to read this story. But if you did, you’d probably pass. The exam, taken before a […]
Posted inSpecial report
Michigan fails students with poor teacher prep
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 […]
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 […]