Perhaps the most vexing question facing Michigan’s new evaluation system is how to compare teacher performance when students in one class may be far more advanced than students in another. So-called “value-added data” is intended solve that dilemma, by taking into account such factors as poverty and a student’s past performance to determine a teacher’s […]
Rich school. Poor school. Whose teachers are better?
Posted inTalent & Education
Grading teachers is proving difficult for principals
Teachers in school districts where Michigan’s proposed teacher evaluation system is being piloted are generally receptive to the changes. But inconsistent scores and a lawsuit in one district are among the challenges schools are likely to face when the system is rolled out across the state as soon as next school year. Brian Rowan, professor […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Improving teacher quality critical to Michigan’s future
Amber Arellano is the executive director of The Education Trust-Midwest The Education Trust-Midwest, based in Royal Oak, has played an integral role in shaping the debate over Michigan teacher evaluation reform. Executive Director Amber Arellano spoke to Bridge about the importance of the reform efforts for Michigan’s children. Bridge: It seems the debate has centered […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Let us now praise (some) public servants
U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara (courtesy photo) Last week I drove to the Federal Building in downtown Ann Arbor, and waited while the big black security gate slid open. I got off the elevator and was greeted by my old friend, U.S. District Judge John Corbett O’Meara, wearing his customary double-breasted gray pinstriped suit, […]
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
Detroit Public TV and The Center team up for Community Conversations – And you're invited
What’s YOUR agenda for Michigan? Do you want to bend the ears of Michigan’s political candidates? Join the The Center for Michigan and MiVote/Detroit Public Television for a community conversation to set your agenda for Michigan in 2014 and beyond. Three Southeast Michigan community conversations will be held starting November 20th at Wayne County Community College. These discussions are free to […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
For Detroit under an EM, lots of woulda-coulda-shoulda
OLD PROBLEMS: Some of the emergency manager’s actions might not be necessary if earlier administrations and councils had acted sooner. There has been tremendous pushback on several actions by or taken as a result of the emergency manager’s office in Detroit. The argument here isn’t whether these things are good, being done the right way […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
No-fault reform would leave crash victims vulnerable
IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU: How you feel about no-fault auto insurance reform might depend on whether you’ve ever been involved in a serious accident. (Photo by Flickr user Lance McCord; used under Creative Commons license) A few years ago I found myself sitting in the back seat of a burning Jeep, stunned and not […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
At college, gaining the world but losing a home
ROOTLESS U.: These hallowed halls may lead to the world, but they also contribute to the fracturing of communities. (Photo by Flickr user Bill Couch; used under Creative Commons license) As the cost of college continues to rise, the value of a college education, considered economically, will undergo greater scrutiny. While college graduates provide the […]
Posted inThe Center for Michigan
Award-winning editor joins Bridge team
David Zeman, who spent two decades covering and editing some of the biggest stories in Michigan journalism, joined Bridge this week as the publication’s editor. “Bridge has very high aspirations to serve as the go-to source in Michigan for in-depth, future-oriented journalism exploring the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of public issues,” said John Bebow, president and […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Becoming a teacher: too often in Michigan it’s come one, come all
One college advertises classes in “truck driving and teacher preparation.” Another program draws potential teachers from the bottom fifth of high school students. Michigan imposes no minimum standards for admission to teacher training programs, leaving standards to individual schools that have little incentive to limit enrollment. The result: Some Michigan teacher candidates studying in programs […]
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