Talent & Education

The first day of college was also a bit chaotic at U-M after the university shut down internet service due to a ‘security concern,' leaving many students confused about class locations.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said it’s too soon to issue an opinion on the constitutionality of a new education agency created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer by executive order last month.

With an estimated 9,000 openings around the state, childcare providers are struggling to serve families desperate for care.

Grad student workers will receive a pay bump and improved benefits in a contract approved by the union Friday just days before fall classes begin.

Michigan schools are responsible for supplying items that students need to learn. But teachers continue to spend hundreds of dollars from their own pockets and routinely ask families, friends and strangers to help.

U-M grad student instructors and staff assistants would win significant pay raises under the tentative deal following a bitter strike. Leaders hope to finalize the deal by Friday before the fall semester begins.

Some Ann Arbor Public Schools board members say it is time for a change in leadership, as teachers’ groups defend Superintendent Jeanice Kerr Swift. Both sides accuse the other of lacking transparency.

Woodruff is the fourth president since Lou Anna K. Simon left in 2018 amid the scandal over the university’s handling of serial sexual abuser Dr. Larry Nassar.

Michigan’s record education budget includes $150 million set aside for tutoring to help students recover from pandemic learning loss. But the state’s strict approval process means a wait until possibly March for the money.

The U.S. Supreme Court struck down President Biden’s plan for widespread loan forgiveness in June. But there are other ways to get federal student loans forgiven. Plus, Michigan has a new program to help teachers pay back their loans.

MSU officials hope they can sell alcohol at home football games and other sporting venues this season. One MSU official estimates the school will sell about $250,000 in alcohol sales per home football game.

West Michigan’s Patmos Library will add labels describing the content of books to its 90,000-volume collection to regain taxpayer support. The library hopes that it will earn support for a new millage vote in November.

The state’s elected board of education wants to know if a new department created by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer violates its constitutional power to oversee all public education.

The two city districts made national news this spring by banning backpacks to prevent guns or contraband from entering schools. After a summer of reflection, they tweaked their policies and are hoping for the best.

Michigan lawmakers approved funding for public schools this year to offer free meals to all students, pre-K through 12th grade, regardless of income. Child nutrition experts are pushing to make the funding permanent.

In remembrance of the one-year anniversary of the school shooting, MSU will not hold classes on Feb. 13, 2024.

A recently passed law will require Michigan public schools to provide information about sexual violence and resources to middle and high schoolers.

Michigan has invested $335 million in school security since the 2021 Oxford High School shootings. Concern over shootings has yielded a gold-rush of security vendors offering schools everything from robotic dogs to bulletproof whiteboards.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed several education bills, including measures that give teachers more say in classroom assignments. She signed another measure that makes it easier for out-of-state teachers and counselors to work in Michigan.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a new state education budget that expands Pre-K access, boosts per-pupil funding and invests in training new teachers. More education policy changes are coming too.