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Donate TodayMichigan facts guide
“Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts,” former U.S. Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan famously said.
With that sentiment in mind, the Center for Michigan and Bridge present this nonpartisan, easy-to-use guide. It’s about many of the facts and issues that matter most as the Michigan governorship, all 148 seats in the state legislature, and other statewide offices are all up for election at the same time in 2018 for the first time in eight years.
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SLIDESHOW: Education & Talent Facts
Quick facts on the state of education in Michigan
Introduction: Just the Facts in 2018 Michigan
Bridge Magazine presents this nonpartisan, easy-to-use guide about many of the facts and issues that matter most as the Michigan governorship, all 148 seats in the state legislature, and other statewide offices are all up for election in 2018.
Michigan's K-12 performance dropping at alarming rate
If K-12 achievement in Michigan were a trendline, it is clearly pointing the wrong direction. By just about any measuring stick, the state is losing the race to educational excellence.
Many Michigan K-12 reform ideas are jumbled, broad, or wildly expensive
Some 1.5 million students attend some 3,000 public schools in Michigan. As academic performance has lagged, competing school reform proposals have sprouted like Michigan summer corn.
Michigan preschool funding has improved, but child care still unaffordable
As student performance in Michigan has plummeted, one strategy where many elected officials, educators, business leaders and state residents agree is bolstering future student success through early childhood programs.
College funding cuts in Michigan have led to fewer students, greater debt
A commonly shared premise among economic experts: a well-educated work force is key to high-wage jobs and prosperity in the 21st century.
Michigan business climate improves, but educated workforce is shrinking
Michigan’s economy has long centered around manufacturing — especially autos. But reliance on a single industry produces boom and bust cycles.
Demand for Michigan workers is very high, but many have given up looking
Michigan paydays aren’t what they used to be. Many paychecks are smaller than a generation ago. Still, the current climate for workers is measurably better than the depths of the Great Recession.
Michigan income growth hindered by lack of college graduates
The incomes of Michigan workers took a big hit during the Great Recession. Incomes have recovered somewhat in recent years, but Michigan has not returned to its high-wage reputation.
Business incentives cost Michigan millions, and it’s uncertain they work
Incentives generally are not the deciding factor for a company looking to move or expand. But incentives are at the center of an economic development arms race, one in which states that don’t play can find themselves losing out on high-profile projects.
Michigan's adverse health trends track along racial, poverty lines
If Michigan’s nearly 10 million residents received a collective physical exam, the result would be a mixed bag – and likely a frown from the doctor.
Health care in rural Michigan communities suffering, despite Obamacare
In 2010, an estimated 1.2 million Michigan residents had no health insurance. By 2016, that fell to approximately 527,000. But, as of this writing in early 2018, the future of health care is unclear.
$1B of Michigan’s welfare money went to college students who weren't poor
For more than a quarter century, policy makers have tinkered with Michigan’s social safety net. Whether reforms have improved the state’s welfare system remains a matter of ongoing debate.
Michigan's Great Lakes are good, but water concerns include lead and Line 5
Michigan’s lakes and rivers face a wave of challenges. At the same time, the state continues to grapple with new threats to drinking water in communities besides Flint.
Michigan battling 22 invasive forest species, high electric bills
Debates about Michigan land resources — and how best to use them — are as old as Michigan itself.
Does state make $8.33 for every $1 spent on Pure Michigan campaign?
As it enters its second decade, the Pure Michigan campaign has become a flashpoint for critics who say its success is evaluated based on flawed assumptions about its return on investment.