A teacher shortage in the state’s public schools has grown worse during the pandemic. State Supt. Michael Rice wants to make it easier to certify teachers while providing financial incentives to get more young people into the profession.
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.
Kindergarten catch-up: How teachers are helping young learners
Kindergarten enrollment was down 11.3 percent across Michigan last year as parents chose to keep their students home rather than face the COVID health risk.
Michigan House passes bill Democrats say would whitewash Black history
The Michigan House dove into the national debate over critical race theory on Tuesday when the GOP forced through a bill sharply restricting school lessons that promote race or gender stereotyping.
Michigan effort launched to OK tax breaks for private school education
The group behind the petition drive intends to work with the GOP Legislature to evade a veto by Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Critics say it’s another GOP effort to use public money for private schools that runs afoul of the Michigan Constitution.
Free tuition lured Michigan adults to college. Next job: Keeping them there
Amanda Hedges-Harrison is among 22,000 people who accepted Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s offer of tuition-free community college. Cost is only one reason that busy adults, many with children and jobs, don’t complete degrees.
How staff shortages are hurting Michigan students with disabilities
Many Michigan students are feeling the effects of the tight labor market as schools struggle to fill a wide range of positions, from teachers to nurses to social workers.
Michigan Senate OKs longshot bills to stop student COVID mandates
The GOP measures blocking mask and vaccine orders are likely DOA if they reach Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Republicans say the bills give parents control over health decisions. Democrats say they ignore science.
They disagreed, but both caught hell. Welcome to Michigan’s mask mandate wars
In mid-Michigan, a health officer and a Republican who tried to talk her out of a school mandate are both under fire. His sin was calling for civility in uncivil times.
Michigan GOP pushes for $500 million private school voucher program
School choice advocates are battling in the courts and Legislature to get taxpayer funding for private school tuition.
Black teacher workforce declined sharply as Michigan students left city districts — study
Michigan’s Black teacher workforce declined 48 percent between 2005 and 2015, far outpacing overall declines in the size of the state’s educator corps, according to a new study from Michigan State University.