Democrats move to eliminate a school quality ranking system that they claim is redundant. Supporters say the system offers parents a different lens to see how schools are performing.
Detroit and other districts face some tough decisions about which programs and employees they can afford to keep once federal support is gone, and they’re under pressure to map out their spending quickly.
The Democratic governor now has a Democratic Legislature and a giant budget surplus to pursue education priorities, including individualized tutoring, universal pre-school and other progressive policies.
Chronic absenteeism, charter school transparency, third-grade retention and early childhood education are expected to be top issues this year as Democrats take the full levers of power in Lansing.
Democrats could breathe new life into the effort when they take control of the Legislature in January, but the path forward may be complicated by other legislative priorities. The bills include universal screening for K-3 students, specialized instruction and teacher training.
Michigan has no funding stream specifically for school transportation. A new report proposes to create one with a formula based on districts’ student density.
Over a decade of Republican dominance in Michigan, perhaps no individual shaped Michigan school policy as much as DeVos. Democrats now hope to undo her work.
Michigan education officials received the public records request in May seeking data on how local districts plan to spend $6.2 billion in federal relief funds. The state says it would take 300 — no, 807 — hours to vet the records before releasing them.
From the governor’s race to local school boards, the ‘parental rights’ movement has dominated debates on education policy this election year. But movement-backed candidates had limited success Tuesday in local school board elections.
The Detroit school district’s poor performance on NAEP, better known as “the nation’s report card,” adds new urgency to its long-term reform efforts, which seek to bolster student achievement, test scores and attendance rates
Local school boards across Michigan are seeing more candidates running on LGBTQ books, transgender rights and history curricula than on the more prosaic concerns of school leaders, including budgets and boosting student achievement.
U.S. District Judge Robert Jonker denied a challenge to the state’s constitutional ban on taxpayer funds being used for private education. The Mackinac Center Legal Foundation said it would appeal the Friday ruling.
Districts are heeding expert warnings of a “perfect storm” of economic uncertainty fueled by inflation, enrollment declines, the threat of recession, and expiring federal aid.
Large, rural school districts make for long, expensive bus routes that eat up budgets. Attracting teachers can be difficult and high-speed internet is hard to find. Consolidation saves money but residents fear loss of community.
Some districts restrict cellphone use. Others warn parents about the dangers of social media. And one legislator proposed banning all Michigan students from using phones during the school day.
Scores in math and English/Language Arts were mostly down this year compared to before the pandemic on the Michigan standardized test known as M-STEP. The results are likely to heavily impact education spending priorities.
