Talent & Education

Voters will elect two candidates apiece for the boards of each of Michigan’s largest universities. The currently unfilled positions wield enormous influence.

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.

EMU faculty union members are one step closer to having a new contract with their university. The deal came after a faculty strike that disrupted three days of classes and includes pay and benefit hikes.

Superintendents will be counting Michigan students Oct. 5, but many children will be out of school observing a major Jewish holiday. It’s a crucial day for Michigan school districts trying to maximize state funding, but this year it coincides with Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year when the observant fast, pray, and abstain from work and school.

From debates about finances and transparency to race and gender, Michigan parents are demanding more input in what kids learn and read. But some say they’ve taken the fight too far.

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.

The governor asks Superintendent Michael Rice to change trainings under fire from conservatives for suggesting teachers don’t need to tell parents about children’s gender orientation.

Conservative parents and advocates are filling Lansing meetings of the state board to read excerpts from school library books with sexual themes. They want bans or restrictions on explicit material, but school books are selected at the local level.

Since Sunday, there’s been chaos in East Lansing over the status of MSU President Samuel Stanley Jr. We break down the issues that have some trustees wanting Stanley gone. Less clear is whether his critics hold a majority view on the board.

President Samuel Stanley Jr., reportedly faces a resign-or-be-fired demand from the university board. Faculty leaders plan to meet Tuesday and speak with Stanley. But the board chair said Monday that removing Stanley would be 'misguided.'

The tentative agreement put faculty back in the classroom Monday after the work action disrupted classes last week.

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.

The university said the faculty union’s strike is causing harm to students, while the union said the lawsuit “does not move us forward one inch.”

The union representing faculty members is at odds with the administration in negotiations over salary and healthcare benefits, with each side blaming the other for canceled classes.

The state’s lowest-performing schools were the hardest hit during the disruption of the pandemic. But the state’s partnership program, which offers more resources and support to these schools, likely helped curb learning loss, an MSU study found.

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.

There is a steep increase this year in the percentage of third-graders behind in reading skills — a troubling trend that was far worse for students who spent significant time learning remotely when they were in second grade during the pandemic.

In perhaps the most comprehensive portrait of academic loss brought on by COVID, math and reading scores for the nation’s 9-year-olds suffered generational declines between 2020 and 2022. The losses spanned races and income levels, though the lowest-performing students suffered the largest declines.

Bills that would restrict how schools teach about racism and other highly-charged topics have yet to pass. But there are signs that pushback from some parents and interest groups are making an impact in classrooms.

State lawmakers approved funding to ensure students in grades 8 through 12 develop a deeper understanding of the state’s 12 federally recognized tribes, tribal governance, the Trail of Tears and the history of abuse at federally funded boarding schools.