The education of Jordan Shaw will start a year later because she lives in Michigan. The Canton girl was in a private preschool program last year as a 3-year-old. But after Jordan’s little brother was born, her parents could no longer afford it. “Preschool gives them good learning skills. (But) trying to pay for her […]
Michigan lags behind other states in pre-K efforts
Posted inTalent & Education
Why the lights never come on in some preschool classrooms
Gobles is a small, rural, almost exclusively white community on the west side of the state. Beecher is an old blue-collar suburb of Flint, racially mixed and overwhelmingly poor. But the children of Gobles and Beecher do share a characteristic — one that neither wants: They can’t attend free, state-funded preschool. Across the state, there […]
Posted inTalent & Education
One woman marshals a pre-K army
Maybe she just didn’t have enough experience to know better. Maybe she had a financial incentive. Whatever the reason, Natalie Merryman succeeded where a lot of school districts failed. As a first-year preschool teacher in the Great Start Readiness Program, Merryman was able to find the kind of at-risk 4-year-olds who are often forgotten in […]
Posted inPeter Luke: Eye on the Capitol
Proposal 5 would take political dysfunction in State Capitol to whole new level
Five years ago this week, Michigan lawmakers were hurtling toward their own fiscal cliff as a new budget year loomed with no spending and revenue agreement in sight. A month of legislative chaos marked by a desultory combination of boredom, tension, recrimination and fatigue ended in the early morning of Oct. 1 when lawmakers gave […]
Posted inPhil's Column
It's all about human capital, people
“Today, money flows toward people who also have knowledge, advanced skills and the relentless determination to find a better way. Michigan, historically, has not grown enough of this kind of talent. That kind of change will take time and an evolution of our education system.” — Ron Dzwonkowski, the fine now-retired associate editor of the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“The greatest gift is a passion for reading. It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind. It is a moral illumination” — Elizabeth Hardwick, American literary critic. * ProPublica continues its coverage of the petroleum industry and environmental oversight: “Injection wells have […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Education talks set for Imlay City, Pontiac, Detroit, Clinton Township
Imlay City, Pontiac, Detroit, Lansing and Clinton Township are among the upcoming stops for the Center for Michigan’s ongoing townhall series on K-12 reform: WHEN: Sept. 27, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. WHERE: East Meeting Room, Novi Public Library, 45255 10 Mile Road, Novi RSVP: Julie Farkas, Novi Public Library — (248) 869-7204 WHEN: Oct. […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Truth Squad says 'no foul' on Stabenow ad touting auto votes
MICHIGAN TRUTH SQUAD ANALYSIS: “Companies like Mine” Who: Stabenow for Senate What: TV and Web ad Truth Squad call: No foul Questionable statement: “At American Expedition Vehicles we have over 500 employees and their jobs are in jeopardy due to counterfeit parts coming out of China.” American Expedition Vehicles is a Livonia-based company that […]
Posted inTalent & Education
In Grand Rapids, a tale of two kids
Like any mother, Grand Rapids resident Courtney Malone wants the best for her children. That’s why she worries about her 3-year-old son, Bryson, who is on a waiting list for the state’s Great Start Readiness Program. She fears he could be losing ground by missing out on the all-day preschool. “It’s very disappointing,” said Malone, […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Pre-K access is a challenge across the state
In theory, children from low- and moderate-income homes have an equal opportunity for free, high-quality preschool in every corner of Michigan. But it turns out some corners are more equal than others. In Saginaw, 91 percent of 4-year-olds eligible for Great Start Readiness Program are in that state-funded preschool or another state- or federally funded […]