More than 10,000 additional needy four year olds will likely find seats in public preschool next fall thanks to final legislative approval this week of Gov. Rick Snyder’s plan to double the size of Michigan’s public preschool programs. This caps two years of work by local school districts, private preschool providers, and early childhood advocates to solve a major preschool shortage.
Legislature green-lights second straight major preschool expansion
Posted inTalent & Education
Bridge reporting leads to tougher teacher testing
Aspiring teachers will soon face tougher tests after the Michigan Legislature last night approved $1.8 million for certification test upgrades.
Posted inMichigan Government
Obamacare booms in Michigan, but wide differences in policy rates raise new questions
After a disastrous launch, Michigan residents are flocking to the Affordable Care Act. Yet the rates all those newly insured vary widely depending on where you live. A lack of competition in some local markets raises questions on why the same kinds of coverage have such different price tags across the state.
Posted inMichigan Government
Medicaid expansion widens safety net, but are future costs a ticking time bomb?
Nearly 270,000 low-income Michigan residents signed up for expanded Medicaid in less than two months. While officials project that number to explode, critics fear the program will prove too costly to sustain.
Posted inGuest Commentary
It’s time to move beyond current debate on Obamacare
Obamacare is already changing the healthcare landscape in Michigan. Major efforts are underway to make the system more effective and efficient, though we don’t yet know if they will work.
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
“Michigan Speaks,” coming to a library near you
Printed copies of the Center for Michigan’s latest public engagement report, “Michigan Speaks: The citizens’ agenda for the 2014 elections,” will be distributed to approximately 25 public libraries statewide this week. Look for it on your library shelves!
Posted inMichigan Government
Is Michigan wasting 20,000 teen lives – and at great expense?
Michigan is among a dwindling number of states that prosecute 17-year-olds as adults, even though teens are more likely to commit more crimes when placed with adults. Most teens prosecuted as adults committed nonviolent crimes.
Posted inMichigan Government
How one county keeps troubled teens out of prison
Innovative programs in Berrien County are going to teens’ homes, not waiting for teens to find trouble. The result: recidivism is down sharply.
Posted inTalent & Education
Officials’ mistake cancels Head Start in Detroit schools; ‘sin and a shame’ for district
Detroit Public Schools missed a deadline, and now must bow out of the preschool program for low-income children, imperiling nearly 1,000 seats for 4-year-olds.
Posted inPhil's Column
Has the tide finally turned for Michigan?
The case for cautious optimism for our state, which finally seems to be moving in the right direction.