Almost 14,000 kindergarten students were held back for a second year of kindergarten classes in the 2010-11 school year. A Bridge Magazine analysis of state data found wide disparities in the rates of such kindergarten retention, however. And these rates are not tied to academic success, poverty or other research factors. Districts in rural areas […]
See how your school ranks on kindergarten repeats
Posted inTalent & Education
How often does your school hold back kindergartners?
Almost 14,000 kindergarten students were held back for a second year of kindergarten classes in the 2010-11 school year. A Bridge Magazine analysis of state data found wide disparities in the rates of such kindergarten retention, however. And these rates are not tied to academic success, poverty or other research factors. In some districts, one-third […]
Posted inPeter Luke: Eye on the Capitol
Detroit has to diet to survive
Kevyn Orr has plenty of numbers he has to confront in his new role as emergency manager of Detroit. One of the more critical ones, though, may not have his immediate attention. As of the 2010 Census, which is already outdated given facts on the ground that change daily, Detroit had 269,445 occupied housing units […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
*Home-court advantage is a perennial topic of conversation in college basketball, but Michigan Republicans have to be congratulated – or pilloried – in how they have created a huge advantage for themselves in congressional elections. As this Bloomberg visual details, Michigan Republicans win by losing. Even though they gained only just under 46 percent of […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Education reform report will highlight ‘Issues & Ale’ event in Ferndale tonight
What do Michigan’s parents and residents want out of public schools? Where are the trouble spots? The bright spots? Tonight in Ferndale (just north of Detroit), the Center for Michigan and Michigan Radio are convening a panel of experts to discuss the findings in the Center’s new report, “The Public’s Agenda for Public Education.” This […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Medicaid expansion is good for Michigan small businesses
By Rob Fowler/SBAM The Small Business Association of Michigan supports the broadening of eligibility criteria to participate in the Medicaid program so that people under 138 percent of the poverty level can be covered. SBAM may be considered a surprising voice in support of this effort. However, I’ve been at the intersection of small business […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Auto rates drive Detroit voters into hiding
Alok Sharma analyzes data for a living. In 2010, he had a client, a politician, who was running for office and wanted to know if it was worth his time to campaign door-to-door in Detroit’s high-rise apartment buildings. Sharma thought the answer might be found by running a high-rise address through the Qualified Voter File, […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Detroiters pay more for auto insurance, but how much more?
To start to understand why auto insurance costs so much more in Detroit than it does outside the city, it helps to start with some statistics. First: Two-thirds of all cars stolen in the state of Michigan are stolen in Wayne County, which has not quite 20 percent of the state’s population. “It’s astounding, those […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Report shows Michigan high for higher ed cuts as legislative panel targets U-M, Wayne St. funds
Michigan’s premier public universities have no problem attracting students, but they’re having a harder time appealing to legislators. And while decreases in state funding are common across the country today, the percentage of cuts in Michigan is higher than in most states. Wayne State University could lose 15 percent of its state funding (about $27 […]
Posted inTalent & Education
‘Issues & Ale’ series focuses on Center’s public education report
What do Michigan’s parents and residents want out of public schools? Where are the trouble spots? The bright spots? Next Tuesday night in Ferndale (just north of Detroit), the Center for Michigan and Michigan Radio are convening a panel of experts to discuss the findings in the Center’s new report, “The Public’s Agenda for Public […]