The nominee for U.S. Education Secretary has used money and muscle to make Michigan a free-market lab for charter and school choice expansion. Can she sell the results?
Talent & Education
To prosper, Michigan must be a more educated place. Bridge will explore the challenges in education and identify policies and initiatives that address them.
Posted inTalent & Education
In state with low reading scores, a West Michigan effort shows promise
Many of today’s kindergarteners may eventually have to repeat third grade if their reading skills fall short. In West Michigan, 100 school districts have joined forces to boost early reading. The goal: to pass every student to fourth grade.
Posted inTalent & Education
Betsy DeVos and the segregation of school choice
Donald Trump’s selection of school-choice advocate Betsy DeVos for U.S. education secretary has focused attention on Michigan’s generous choice policy. In September, Bridge Magazine revealed one troubling side-effect: segregation
Posted inTalent & Education
Dual enrollment growing in popularity and frustration
Opportunities to take college courses while in high school vary widely across Michigan, but the credits earned aren’t always what students expect
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Young voters feel they’re ‘screwed either way’
Among Michigan millennials, Clinton may be the favorite, but with heavy sighs over politics as usual.
Posted inTalent & Education
How more affluent families get welfare for pricey private colleges
Thousands of middle- to upper-income students use federal welfare funds to attend expensive private schools. Meanwhile, only 18 percent of impoverished families in Michigan receive cash assistance.
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Private colleges, public aid
Michigan has spent more than $1 billion in federal anti-poverty money on college scholarships and grants since 2007, much of it going to middle- or higher-income students attending pricier private schools. Because costs there are higher than at public universities – with tuition at some exceeding $40,000 – many more affluent families qualified for the […]
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School choice producing segregation in districts across the state
More than 300,000 public school students take advantage of the state’s popular school choice program. Whether by chance or design, districts are becoming less diverse.
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Top 10 Michigan school districts impacted by school choice
The state’s school choice policies are making many districts far more segregated. Here are the districts most impacted by school choice.
Posted inTalent & Education
Is college still worth the cost? Usually
In spite of rising tuition and loan debt, experts say a college degree still looks like a wise financial investment for most Michigan students, if they choose wisely.