Education

Michigan faces a looming education and economic crisis if it does not address systemic racism affecting children of color in K-12 schools. That’s according to a new report from the Michigan League for Public Policy.

At a conference in Flint Thursday, officials and national experts are discussing how to reduce health hazards found in schools.

The conference comes the day before a U.S. Conference of Mayors summit in Flint on water issues.

"Human-influenced global climate change is the defining scientific and social problem of our age,"  University of Michigan President Mark Schlissel told a gathering of U of M leaders Thursday. "And a significant component of this growing crisis is due to the burning of fossil fuels to generate energy."

State lawmakers are moving to keep the percentage of school administrator evaluations based on student growth right where it is now.

The percentage is supposed to increase to 40% this year.  But on a 14 to 1 vote, the House Education Reform committee Thursday endorsed keeping it at 25%.

A group of Detroit students walked out of class in protest on Wednesday, the same day the state uses student attendance numbers to decide how much per-pupil funding school districts receive.

The students say they did it to draw attention to water contamination in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The district cut off drinking fountains and other drinking water sources before the school year started, after tests found high levels of lead and copper in some schools.

Currently, there aren’t enough qualified teachers to fill the need in Michigan schools. One way to quickly get aspiring teachers into classrooms is something called “alternative certification.” These training programs don’t require any in-classroom teaching. But is this the answer?

A coalition of education, business and other groups is calling for more investment in college and career training in Michigan.

Tuesday, the Michigan Higher Education Attainment Roundtable released the report Total Talent: Equipping All Michiganders with the Education and Skills Needed for Success in the Economy of Today and Tomorrow.

The report says Michigan needs to greatly expand the percentage of the state’s workforce with college degrees and technical certification by 2025.

Students across Michigan are heading back to school this month, and in some cities, students won’t be getting their water out of drinking fountains.

In August, Detroit Public Schools Community District announced that all drinking water in the district would be shut off indefinitely after elevated lead and copper levels were discovered. As of September 19, results found elevated levels in water fixtures at 57 of 86 schools tested so far. And in Flint, the public schools plan to continue using water bottles until January.

In December 2017, the Michigan State University Board of Trustees authorized the establishment of a $10 million fund to pay for counseling for survivors of abuse by Larry Nassar. The fund is called the Healing Assistance Fund and was set up early in 2018. It is separate from a May 2018 $500 million settlement agreement between MSU and Nassar survivors.

A Leelanau County school district has made an unusual move in response to incidents of gun violence in schools around the country.

The presidents of Michigan’s three major research universities talked about state funding and campus sexual assault, and touted their combined research contributions and economic clout at the Detroit Economic Club Wednesday.

Sexual assault survivors of convicted sports doctor Larry Nassar have until September 10, 2018 to file claims for compensation from Michigan State University's Nassar Victim Fund.

About 100 additional women have filed claims since MSU's settlement in May with the original group of 333 women.

In May, MSU set up a $500 million fund to compensate victims of Larry Nassar.

Tuesday is the first day of school for many children in Michigan.

In Flint, about two dozen motorcycles greeted students as they arrived for classes at Doyle Ryder elementary.  Some students covered their ears as riders throttled up their engines to a low roar.  

Charter school groups and state lawmakers are complaining about how the Michigan Department of Education plans to count students enrolling in cyber schools.

All Michigan schools must provide a minimum of 1,098 hours of instruction throughout the school year, under Section 101 of the State School Aid Act.

When it comes to standardized testing, Michigan’s students don’t seem to be performing any better than in recent years — or too much worse.

The Michigan Department of Education released the results of the 2018 M-STEP test Wednesday.

Detroit students won't be drinking out of water fountains when school starts next week.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District announced Wednesday that students will be using bottled water after tests showed elevated lead and copper levels at some of the schools.

Ferris State University teachers are back in class today after a Mecosta County Judge ordered a temporary end to their strike.

But the strike could be back on if the Judge decides not to grant the University a permanent injunction at a hearing Wednesday.

State Education officials are touting programs to improve early childhood literacy.

The programs help state and local educators collaborate to bring more children’s reading up to grade level by the end of the third grade.

Michigan State University says it will find a new, permanent president by June of 20-19 – And now it has a committee in place to help find the right person for the job.

Michigan school districts are still racing to fill teaching positions before the new school year starts.

The Michigan Department of Education hosted a teacher hiring fair in Lansing last week.  Around 100 public school districts and charter schools attended, as did around 475 job-seekers, said Rebekah Emmerling, manager of the educator evaluation and professional growth unit at MDE.