This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). What’s changed, what hasn’t and why It still matters.
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
- 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
Opinion | A big victory to protect Michigan from factory farm pollution
Michigan’s permit sets an example for the nation. It’s important to congratulate the state leaders who did the right thing.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan taxpayers are paying more and getting less in education
Michigan’s education woes aren’t due to a lack of funding; they stem from a lack of focus. Instead of doubling down on fundamentals like reading by third grade, our leaders continue to chase gimmicks and pour more money into a broken system.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Keeping coal plant online isn’t just costly, it risks Michiganders’ health
There is no evidence-based justification for prolonging a technology that is no longer necessary to meet our energy needs and causes undue harm to our most vulnerable communities.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan needs a Ratepayer Bill of Rights to rein in rising energy costs
We can finally start to rebalance the scales — ensuring that Michiganders no longer pay the most for the least, and that our energy system works for the people who pay for it.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | It’s time to eliminate Michigan’s partisan state Board of Education
Eliminating the partisan State Board of Education would restore trust and ensure that education decisions reflect the priorities of Michigan families, not political interest groups.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Protecting our Great Lakes from microplastic pollution
This is not a problem we can kick down the road. Microplastics are nearly impossible to contain once they enter the environment. We have the opportunity to take a first step forward with a new package of legislation.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | Michigan’s literacy reform should include nonpublic school teachers
The exclusion of these nonpublic schoolteachers from state-supported Science of Reading training is shortsighted, and it risks leaving behind thousands of Michigan students who all need effective reading instruction.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | What Michigan communities need most from Rural Health Transformation Program
Without resources, rural hospitals will close, and many communities will lose their primary source of care. Without workforce investment, these providers will struggle to meet the needs of their communities.
Posted inGuest Commentary
Opinion | We are divided but have the tools to become a ‘more perfect union’
Michigan led the way toward national unity before, and it can do so again through civil, respectful debate about our differences.