Leading up to what could prove a pivotal Michigan Republican presidential primary, the Michigan Truth Squad, another project of the Center for Michigan, is hard at work assessing the claims in various campaign ads and materials from the leading candidates and their political allies. See what fouls have been called on the bids by Mitt […]
Center for Michigan
Posted inPhil's Column
A plan to curb carp, before it's too late
Since the St. Lawrence Seaway opened in 1959, the Great Lakes have been locked in an unhealthy marriage with the Atlantic Ocean and the rest of the world. Before then, the Great Lakes had evolved over the millennia their own ecosystem, physically separated from invasion by non-native species. But once oceangoing freighters could take on […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Biz leaders make prison-higher ed connection
Business Leaders for Michigan, a group formerly known as Detroit Renaissance, is a major player in how state policy is shaped in Lansing these days. So when it takes a stance, it’s advisable to pay attention. And BLM on Wednesday made an important statement about prison costs — in its bid to reinvent the state’s […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Join Twitter Chat on K-12 schools
February has an extra day this year; why not take your lunch hour (noon to 1 p.m.) on Feb. 29 to join other concerned Michigan residents to discuss student learning in Michigan schools? The Center for Michigan, Bridge’s parent organization, is joining forces with the Detroit Free Press to host an online conversation about ways to improve […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Cut prison spending, CFM tells Senate panel
My written testimony for a meeting today of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Corrections: “Good afternoon. Thank you Senator (John) Proos and fellow members of the committee for the opportunity to speak with you today. In 2008, the Center for Michigan organized a diverse group of business, nonprofit and public sector organizations all concerned with the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links: Prison edition
The political dynamics of each state will vary, but the trend toward changes in how states deal with prisons and holding felons is unmistakable. A few highlights from around the nation: * A full rundown, from an advocacy group, of state by state reform efforts, including whether the states have sentencing commissions: http://www.famm.org/StateSentencing.aspx * Georgia […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Learning still starts at home
Over the years, I’ve been a big admirer of Rochelle Riley’s columns in the Detroit Free Press: Last Friday, she had a particularly valuable piece concerning the Detroit Parent Network, which is developing parent resource centers and connecting parents with those who teach their children. “The result is that a third more parents attended parent-teacher […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Education conversations reach Traverse area
The Center for Michigan, Bridge Magazine’s parent and Michigan’s very own “citizenship company,” is engaged in a year-long series of community conversations on a vital topic to our state: the future of K-12 education. Modern lives are busy, especially so for parents, but I urge you to take the opportunity to join a community conversation […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Citizen amnesia bedevils public schools
Margaret Trimer-Hartley*, who knows a thing or two about public education as the head of a Detroit charter school system, wrote the following on Facebook today in response to a Detroit News editorial on teacher quality: “New teachers MUST, MUST, MUST come to us with the ability to differentiate instruction for diverse learners. That is […]
Posted inBusiness Watch
Time to try Bernero's bank idea?
Banks being stingy with small business loans are choking off America’s economic recovery, argues blogger Matt Yglesias at his new home at slate.com. He is reporting on new research that purports to show that small businesses that just want to do business and need some bank money for investment have been hurt disproportionately during the […]
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