Bridge Lunch Break will discuss back-to-school issues in Michigan

After the pandemic, Michigan schools are amid several policy changes around curriculum, funding and more
Lunch Break will discuss the challenges and opportunities in K-12 education with three expert panelists
Register for this free event below

Bridge Michigan invites readers to a free Zoom discussion at noon Wednesday, Sept. 25, about the challenges and opportunities for Michigan’s schools in the 2024-25 academic year.

Michigan schools have experienced many changes in the last four years, including a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic and new policies from Democratic lawmakers.

High school students are now required to learn about financial literacy before they graduate, teacher unions have more bargaining rights, and the state is expanding access to both preschool and higher education.

There’s also an ongoing teacher shortage and standardized test scores that most agree are less than ideal.

Our panelists will discuss what the pandemic fundamentally changed about education, what needs to be improved and what they look forward to in the 2024-2025 school year.

Panelists for this event will include Melanie Depray, chief academic officer of Westwood Community Schools, Jack Elsey, founder and CEO of Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative, Karin Nowak, director of Gretchen’s House and Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools.

Bridge Michigan education reporter Isabel Lohman will moderate the discussion.

Participants can ask questions of our reporters on our registration form before the event and via the Zoom chat feature throughout the event. Pull up a chair, grab your lunch and join us for this interactive discussion.

Please fill out our Lunch Break registration form to be sent a calendar invitation to the event, including the Zoom link. This registration form also includes an opportunity to submit questions for our reporters.

Related:

Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous events have discussed spending of Michigan’s opioid settlement funds, solutions to gun violence in Michigan, Michigan’s population crisis, youth mental health in Michigan and the legacy of the automotive industry on the state’s environment and economy.

How to join this live Zoom discussion

To be invited to participate in this discussion, please complete this form. We will send you the link via a Google Calendar invitation to your email inbox. You can also pre-submit your questions to our team on this form.

To learn more about how to join a Zoom meeting, watch this short video. Zoom is free to use, and you can use the video call function on your computer, tablet or phone, or you can call into the meeting using the conference line function.

Member support allows us to offer engagement opportunities like this Lunch Break series. To regularly receive advance notification of what our nonprofit newsroom is planning and receive member-exclusive benefits — such as free Bridge event tickets, copies of our bimonthly Bridge Culture Club selections and more — become a Bridge Club member today.

We look forward to talking with you on Sept. 25!