(Bridge illustration/A.J. Jones) By William Mayes/Michigan Association of School Administrators On April 22, leaders from the education, business, manufacturing, government, and nonprofit sectors gathered for Gov. Rick Snyder’s 2013 Education Summit. The day’s events focused on ways Michigan could better serve its students while boosting the economy by creating a smoother transition from school […]
Guest Commentary
At Bridge, we believe in listening to voices from all over our state. Got something to say? Contact us and join the conversation (details below)
How to submit a Guest Commentary
What to know:
Bridge welcomes a diversity of voices and perspectives from readers on issues important to Michigan. Guest commentaries reflect the views of the author(s), and are independent of the nonpartisan, fact-driven reporting of Bridge’s newsroom staff.
Commentaries must be the author’s original work and preferably will not have appeared first in other publications. Bridge reserves the right to decline submissions at our discretion.
We reserve the right to edit commentary for grammar, clarity, brevity or to address legal or factual concerns. We may offer editing suggestions, but in the service of making your work more accessible, not to alter your views.
We do not pay for guest commentary.
Here are some guidelines:
- Columns are usually 500-700 words
- They generally focus on a Michigan topic or policy and should avoid ad hominem attacks
- The more direct, distinct and/or intimate your perspective, the more effective your column will be
- The best columns do more than identify problems; they also offer solutions and facts to back them up
- Please include a one- or two-sentence bio, including the writer’s organization or relevant background.
- Authors must show their work, by backing up facts with links to reports or studies
- Bridge does not publish self-promotional columns or candidate endorsements
- Send a good quality, large headshot of the writer(s) as an attachment
- We also ask that, in return for publishing a guest commentary, the author(s) and their organizations generously promote the link to the published column through your Facebook, Twitter and other social or professional networks.
That’s about it. Keep the writing clear, conversational and free of jargon, and sell our smart and receptive readership on the argument you are trying to make.
Who to contact:
Email your submission or idea to guestcommentary@bridgemi.com. Please briefly describe who you are and what you would like to say and put the words “guest commentary” in the email subject line.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: EAA won’t answer simple questions about its finances (UPDATED)
By Rep. Ellen Lipton Files released Rep. Lipton’s office reports that the EAA has responded to her FOIA request. The 31 documents released by the EAA can be viewed at http://lipton.housedems.com/resources/publications. As I watched House Republicans rush to expand the experimental Education Achievement Authority statewide last month, I wondered if legislators who supported House […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Fish eDNA suggests Asian carp closing in on Great Lakes
By Andy Mahon/Central Michigan University CMU biology professor Andy Mahon and a research team introduce a new screening method to detect the abundance of invasive species in water. (courtesy photo/Central Michigan University) It all started with a simple question. In late 2008, while sitting around after work with a group of colleagues, Lindsay Chadderton from […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Money Smart Week starts with 10 top tips for families
By Kelly Masters/ Money Smart Week chairwoman Of all the issues we currently face, few have greater potential to cause harm to individuals and communities than the consequences associated with poor financial decision-making. Kelly Masters is owner of Graceful Communications and chairwoman of the Federal Reserve Bank Money Smart Week in Michigan. When this occurs […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Analysis: Detroit raises large sums with high tax rates
By Jeff Guilfoyle/Citizens Research Council With Michigan’s largest city now under the direction of an emergency manager, statewide attention has focused on the city of Detroit’s finances. The Citizens Research Council, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research firm, has published an analysis of the city’s fiscal structure and trends — Detroit City Government Revenues. This report attempts […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: Focus on quality of education, not on structure of schools
By Wendy Zdeb-Roper/Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals Whether it was the debate over charter and cyber schools or, most recently, the Oxford Foundation report and the Educational Achievement Authority, the conversation about education reform has been focused almost exclusively on who should educate Michigan students — rather than on the quality of the education being provided. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest commentary: 10 reasons to expand Medicaid in Michigan
EXPANSION RESULTS: Expanding Medicaid coverage in Michigan would mean 18,000 new jobs in Michigan, argues Mike Vizena. (courtesy photo/used under Creative Commons license) By Mike Vizena/Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards There are many reasons the Michigan Legislature should follow Gov. Rick Snyder’s lead on Medicaid expansion. Let me count the ways: 1. It […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Top challenge to business is cost of health care
By David Baker/Baker Strategy Group Businesses play an essential role in Michigan’s economy. Business is the economic engine that pays people for their time and contribution and converts their work into products and services that customers need. According to the 2010 Census, there are close to 175,000 businesses in Michigan (excluding the estimated 680,000 non-employee […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Kindergarten retention, in current form, doesn’t help children
By Larry Schweinhart/HighScope Educational Research Foundation One of our conclusions from the 2012 Great Start Readiness Program Evaluation was that grade retention is a major state policy, made locally, that deserves serious study. Of students who had the Great Start program, 37 percent repeated a grade during their schooling, as compared to nearly half the comparison […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Medicaid expansion is good for Michigan small businesses
By Rob Fowler/SBAM The Small Business Association of Michigan supports the broadening of eligibility criteria to participate in the Medicaid program so that people under 138 percent of the poverty level can be covered. SBAM may be considered a surprising voice in support of this effort. However, I’ve been at the intersection of small business […]
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