Talent & Education

Coronavirus outbreaks in schools increased after Gov. Gretchen Whitmer allowed winter sports like basketball and wrestling to resume. Was it worth it?

Despite the superhuman efforts of teachers, many students are falling through the cracks faster than they can be pulled up and out.

Superintendents throughout Michigan are begging students and parents to stay vigilant on spring break — or face more closures.

Michigan’s standardized test is a few weeks away, and schools are preparing to administer it. But it still could be canceled because of COVID-19, and officials aren’t sure which students will be required to take it.

The number of Michigan teachers who are leaving classrooms is up 40 percent this school year compared to typical years, as the stress of pandemic teaching drives some to retire or resign.

The United Ways’ ALICE report, released Tuesday, illustrates the gulf in Michigan between having a job and having a job that pays enough to support workers and families. The most in-demand job going forward: fast food.

With coronavirus cases surging, some Michigan schools are temporarily moving back to online learning. There’s no sign of a statewide school shutdown, though.

The enrollment drop last fall was particularly pronounced among Black, Hispanic, and low-income students, groups hit hard by the pandemic and the resulting economic strain. See how college enrollment rates in your school district changed in 2020.

With just one month before students are to take the state M-STEP, it’s uncertain what test they’ll take, or whether Michigan’s read-or-flunk law for third graders makes sense during a pandemic.

State officials and colleges are learning what marketing experts have known for years: “Free” is a powerful draw.

The Great Start Readiness Program offers state-funded preschool for 4-year-olds from low- and moderate-income families. But funding hasn’t been boosted since 2014, leaving school districts to make up the difference.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s programs offering tuition-free community college to low-income students and frontline workers have fueled a race among four-year universities to promote similar deals. Millions of Michigan residents can now qualify for free or deeply discounted degrees.

With a blizzard of new “free tuition” programs, it can be confusing who qualifies for what and where. Here’s a place to start your research on the real cost of higher education across Michigan.

A massive vaccination program has given MSU hope to return to something close to normal in the fall. But as with everything in the pandemic, those plans are subject to change.

A growing percentage of Michigan students have the option of learning in classrooms at least part of the week, as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations decline and vaccinations rise.

The U.S. is requiring standardized tests this year amid COVID. Ordinarily, that would mean the statewide M-STEP, but state Superintendent Michael Rice wants districts to choose among assessments, leaving the issue in limbo.

Michigan school officials didn’t want to make students take standardized tests this spring because of the disruptions due to the pandemic. Federal officials aren’t giving them a choice.

With billions at stake, Michigan school groups are pushing to have the COVID relief formula changed to shrink the funding advantage being given to poor districts under federal relief bills. Some impoverished districts would get 100 times more funds under the U.S. formula.

Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and Lansing have yet to decide whether to reopen to in-person classes, despite declining COVID-19 cases and the urging of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that schools find ways to safely reopen.

A $370 million infusion could make child care more affordable for 150,000 families and keep struggling child care centers afloat.