Danielle Horton, 21, will be graduating in May from Michigan State University with a degree in social work and a debt that worries her. “I will be approximately $60,000 in debt,” says the mother of two young children. “It’s discouraging. I pray I make enough money to afford tuition for my children so they will […]
Rick Snyder
Posted inPhil's Column
Snyder, Detroit journalist offer hope for city mired in woe
I’m old enough — 74 — to remember the days when Detroit was a thriving city and a magnet for folks throughout Michigan. When I was a little boy, my mother would put on her white gloves and hat and take me to the enormous J. L. Hudson store downtown. At that time, it was […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Make businesses pay their fair share for schools, roads, universities
By Rep. Pam Faris Doug Rothwell, president and CEO of Business Leaders for Michigan, recently proposed a three-point plan to get Michigan moving. Rothwell’s plan applauds Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed budget for fiscal 2014, acknowledging his investments in pre-K education, community colleges and higher education and the rebuilding of our infrastructure. While I agree that […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Pursuit of money, learning mix
Do the profit motive and learning mix? In Michigan, the answer, so far, is – yes. Students at Michigan charter schools operated by for-profit companies perform the same or better academically as their peers at charters run by nonprofits, according to a Bridge Magazine analysis. While they perform the same, they don’t always perform well. […]
Posted inGuest Commentary
Guest column: Why is education establishment resisting school reform?
By Peter B. Ruddell/Wiener Associates It’s about the kids, not the district. Despite the Center for Michigan’s recent report and Michigan’s mediocre (but improving) education achievement, the entrenched education establishment is arguing the status quo is good for kids. This time the arguments come high atop the traditional education establishment’s ivory tower – from David […]
Posted inPhil's Column
Detroit’s fiscal opera will end with bankruptcy aria
Same song, second verse. That’s my reaction to the news last week that the state team charged with reviewing Detroit’s financial condition has unanimously concluded a financial emergency exists in the city. The exact wording: “… a financial emergency exists because no satisfactory plan exists within the city of Detroit to resolve a severe financial […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* “Looking solely at the federal budget, an elderly person receives close to seven federal dollars for every dollar received by a child.” I’ll repeat that: For every $7 the federal budget spends on an elderly person, it spends $1 on a child.” Discuss amongst yourselves. * David Eggert of AP’s Lansing bureau reports on the […]
Posted inLand O Links
Land O Links
* Michigan State University professor David Arsen whips out the v-word in an open letter to Gov. Rick Snyder about his school ideas: “The Oxford funding proposal and HB 5923 represent a truly dramatic strategy to shift the provision of Michigan’s educational services outside locally-governed school districts. They would establish the closest approximation to a universal […]
Posted inTalent & Education
Facts you might not know about Michigan’s 15 public universities
You probably didn’t know this about Michigan’s public universities: * The University of Michigan’s 90 percent graduation rate is 22 percentage points higher than the average at peer institutions. * Michigan State University’s 126-1 student-to-administrative staff ratio is nearly twice as high as peer institutions. * Central Michigan University’s state aid of $3,699 per student is just slightly […]
Posted inMichigan Government
Blue Cross revamp: What does it mean for your pocketbook?
Blue Cross Blue Shield is, in some ways, health care in Michigan. The nonprofit firm and its family of companies cover 4.4 million Michigan residents – or almost half the state. It paid out more than $18 billion in claims in 2011 – most of it in Michigan – while doing business with 158 hospitals […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.