Gov. Rick Snyder has made a blunt claim about Michigan’s schools in 2011: Few of their graduates are actually ready for college work. This spring, Snyder said only 16 percent of the state’s 2010 high school graduates were college ready and that 238 schools had zero — 0 — college-ready students based on ACT benchmarks. […]
education
Posted inTalent & Education
Momentum builds at Capitol for teacher tenure changes
(Originally published June 21, 2011) Over the past two years, the State Tenure Commission has sided with the school district in every case where the district sought to fire a teacher specifically for poor performance in the classroom. All four. And of the 32 total cases ruled on by the commission between January 2009 […]
Posted inTalent & Education
School Daze: Michigan's incredible shrinking school year
(Originally published March 12, 2009) Imagine if the United States completely flopped in the next Olympics. Imagine if countries like Japan and South Korea dominated the medal count and it was obvious those athletes had simply out-worked, out-practiced, and out-performed ours. The likely results… Public outcry. Fired coaches. Promises of a quick return to athletic […]
Posted inTalent & Education
School Daze II: How some districts keep 180 days a top priority
(Originally published Jan. 19, 2011) In the Milan School District, students spend more days in class than their peers in most other districts for a simple reason: district leaders have made it an important priority. In the 2008-2009 school year, Milan was one of a handful of districts that actually exceeded – by a single […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
“It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge” — atomic physicist Enrico Fermi. * Our friend Kurt Metzger takes the positive approach to home values in Detroit — there are bargains aplenty for buyers: http://detroitdataguru.wordpress.com/2011/08/04/metro-detroit-real-estate-great-deals-in-a-great-area/ * Another survey in Michigan, this of the general public, […]
Posted inMichigan Government
MSU dominates U-M in Legislature
The Michigan Legislature has voted over the years to designate a state rock (Petosky stone), a state tree (white pine) and even a state fossil (mastodon). If lawmakers decide to name a state university, Wolverine fans should be worried. There are almost twice as many Michigan State University alumni in the House and Senate than […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.