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 […]
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
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 […]
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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 […]
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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 […]
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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, […]
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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 […]
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Center for Michigan launches education talks
Starting Tuesday, the Center for Michigan — parent to Bridge Magazine — is launching its next round of community conversations across Michigan. This year-long campaign, through the end of 2012, will focus on a singular topic of extreme importance to Michigan’s future: K-12 education. These town hall-style meetings are modeled after the Center’s “Michigan’s Defining […]
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Does education reform begin with teachers or parents?
Everyone wants to fix our schools. There’s only one problem: No one knows what works. A compilation of education research by the Education Writers Association comes to the conclusion that there really aren’t any solid conclusions about education reform. Teacher quality has been the political flavor this year in Michigan, with legislation aimed at weeding […]
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School or lunch counter?
This handy map at the New York Times shows the percentage of schoolchildren eligible for free or reduced-price lunches at school by state in 2011. In Michigan, almost half the children are eligible — 45 percent. And, sadly, that’s a good figure, by national standards. Twenty-two states have a majority of schoolchildren qualified. In parts […]
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State Champs: See how your district is doing
Sixty Michigan public school districts claimed at least a tie for a championship in one of eight academic categories in Bridge Magazine’s Academic State Championships for the 2010-11 school year. These winners were drawn from a database created by Public Sector Consultants, a Lansing-based research firm, and the nonpartisan, nonprofit Citizens Research Council. Statewide average […]