Marc Santucci’s long experience of working in international trade came in handy, strangely enough, when he stepped out of that world several years ago and became a Michigan pig farmer. His effort to import blond Mangalitsa pigs from Hungary to Haslett pulled him into lengthy talks with members of Congress and U.S. Department of Agriculture […]
How a Michigan entrepreneur overcame pork politics
Posted inTalent & Education
2013 Michigan Scorecard
CATEGORY2008201020122014Student PerformancePoorPoorPoorPoor4th Grade Math33rd39th41st42nd8th Grade Math37th37th36th37th4th Grade Reading31st31st35th36th8th Grade Reading30th33rd33rd29th4th Grade ScienceNANA28th28th8th Grade ScienceNANA24th18thHigh School CompletionGoodFairGoodGoodGraduation rate75%76%76%76%Drop-out rate15%14%11%11%Adults with a diploma87%89%89%91%K-12 InvestmentGoodFairPoorPoorPer pupil expenditure16th20th24th25thTeacher salary7th9th12th8thCollege completionPoorPoorPoorPoorNational ranking35th35th35th37thCollege affordabilityPoorPoorPoorPoorNational rankingNA47th48th45thHigher education investmentPoorPoorPoorPoorNational ranking37th42nd41st39th JOBS, PROSPERITY AND ECONOMY SCORECARD CATEGORY2008201020122014Personal incomePoorPoorPoorPoorPer capita income ranking36th40th40th35thUnemployment ratePoorPoorPoorPoorUnemployment rate7.9%12.8%9.3%8.7%Job growthPoorPoorGoodGood Job growth ranking49th49th13th4thOverall economic growthPoorPoorGoodFairState GDP growth ranking50th50th13th18thExportsN/AFairGoodGood Exports ranking […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Don’t mess with the Great Lakes
In a surprising development, in late July a Congressional committee acted like, well, thoughtful, rational legislators. Why? Six words: Don’t mess with the Great Lakes. Here’s the story. First came behavior we’ve come to expect from the U.S. House of Represenatives. An appropriations subcommittee — which has primary responsibility for determining Great Lakes funding levels […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
As vets find jobs contractors fight hiring preferences
Reconnecting military veterans to the workplace after they have served their country has been one the most talked about labor market issues by state and federal policymakers in recent years. After all, what could be more noble than helping veterans, many of whom have risked their lives during combat tours of Iraq and Afghanistan, find […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Vets fare better on front lines of job search
Despite a perception that veterans are having a particularly hard time finding jobs, the unemployment rate for veterans in Michigan is lower than for the overall work force. Unemployment rates for veterans and for all Michigan workers: YearVeteransOverall20057.0% 6.8%20066.0% 6.9%20074.9% 7.1%20088.0% 8.3%200915.0% 13.4%2010 15.9% 12.7%201111.2% 10.4%2012>7.9% 9.1% Source: Michigan Bureau of Labor Market Information & Strategic […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Oxford goes global to improve student learning
Oxford Community Schools is educating students far beyond its borders in the belief that it will make its local students more successful. This growing rural school district in northern Oakland County, about 40 miles north of Detroit, is bringing dozens of students from China to finish their last two years of high school in Oxford. […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Forgoing summer vacation, parents swamp year-round school
A third of elementary students are enrolled in a year-round program at Croswell-Lexington Community Schools in Sanilac County. Students attend classes the same number of days as those enrolled on a traditional school calendar, but instead of a long summer break during which learning is lost, they have a series of three-week breaks. Third grade […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Changing course toward more effective public schools
By the beginning of fourth grade, the point at which we can accurately predict long-term learning outcomes, only 33 percent of American children are at proficient reading levels. Only 17 percent of children who are eligible for free or reduced lunch are at proficient reading levels. The vast majority of the non-proficient readers are unlikely […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
In the nation’s increasingly powerful cities, a need for serious thinking
ALL IN THIS TOGETHER: As the U.S. has left its agrarian roots behind, cities and metro areas are the country’s new economic drivers, a new book by Bruce Katz and Jennifer Bradley posits. (Photo of Jackson by Flickr user Lane Montgomery/used under Creative Commons license) There’s a revolution afoot. Have you heard? If you have […]
Posted inBrunch with Bridge
A conservative case against small-town Walmarts
WHAT PRICE BARGAINS? While Walmart’s low prices may help some shoppers, a store in a small community carries other costs, says Conor Dugan. (Photo by Flickr user Ron Dauphin/used under Creative Commons license) This spring, Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, announced plans to build a Supercenter east of the towns of Whitehall and Montague, just […]
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