Eric Skibbe could buy a 2-bedroom, 1.5 bath house in a solid Detroit neighborhood for $60,000. He could buy a nice Ford sedan for $19,500. He could fly from Detroit Metro to Orlando, Fla., this winter for $300, round trip. All these elements of what many would consider the good life could be had for […]
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
The 44-cent solution
What can you buy with 44 cents? You can get one postage stamp, at least for the next 12 days, when the cost of mailing a letter jumps to 45 cents. You could buy an eighth of a gallon of gas. Or you could help turn around the state’s economy. Michigan families pay more to […]
Posted inTalent & Education
'College tax' varies by campus
Michigan has 15 public universities (though three are technically part of just one university system — the University of Michigan). Students attending 12 of these 15 schools are paying a “college tax” — meaning that the annual net cost to them is higher than the average cost found at peer institutions in other states. The […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Will analyze poetic devices for food
Pity the poor English major, who must not only suffer the abuses of postmodern textural analyses in senior seminars but the Thanksgiving-table cries of their relatives: But what are you going to do with that degree? You can discuss comp lit with the passengers in that taxi you’ll be driving. But hold on a bit, […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Library specialists fear dwindling school ranks
It used to be that fifth-grade teacher Lisa Hudson could count on the school librarian at any time in her Walled Lake Schools elementary building. He shelved and checked out books, helped students select books he knew they would like and set up educational displays in the library – rockets, for example, to support other […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Guest post: Detroiter pushs private promise
Dr. Nat Pernick wants folks to know there is already a Detroit Promise scholarship program. Pernick created the Detroit College Promise and has been awarding scholarships for the past four years to Detroit Public School graduates who live in the school district and have signed up by ninth grade. The amount of the scholarships depends […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Guest column: Rural investments pay off via schools
By James J. Turner/U.S. Agriculture Department The academic success of small schools in Michigan comes as no surprise to USDA Rural Development (“Small schools dominate championships” — Nov, 17, 2011). Our agency has long known that rural Michigan residents are resilient and resourceful – and the most important resource in our state. USDA Rural Development […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Education reform: It's gonna hurt
As readers of Bridge and supporters of the Center for Michigan know, the Center is spending the next year hosting conversations around the state about K-12 education and how citizens can improve it. Without doubt, it is vital to get more citizens involved in the policy process. I’m going to indulge my curmudgeonly side a […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Group wants surpluses spent on children
The Children’s Leadership Council of Michigan, a collection of business, nonprofit and educational groups, has some advice for the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder on using the projected surpluses from the 2011 fiscal year: Spend it on the kids. In a new letter (see full draft below), the group argues, “Viewing them as investment strategies, […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Snyder team reads Bridge
Perhaps a bit lost in the post Thanksgiving haze, or pre-Christmas shopping rush, Gov. Rick Snyder unveiled last week his message and plans for upgrading the talent and opportunities in Michigan. For a complete text of the message, click here. I will highlight one paragraph, for obvious — and self-serving — reasons: “A recent report […]