Talent & Education

Less than one-third of Michigan high schools seniors have filled out a federal form required to qualify for state and federal loans, grants and scholarships. Experts worry the low submission rate could lead to low college enrollment and students missing out on free money.

A campus shooting exposed weaknesses in MSU security. The university will use artificial intelligence to fill some gaps as part of a sweeping $10M security upgrade that may take several years to complete.

Days after U-M’s president was shouted down by pro-Palestinian demonstrators, officials are pitching a policy that would punish students and others for disrupting university activities.

Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s goal to make preschool free and available to all families is a big task. The biggest hurdles for the state to overcome are shortages of qualified staff and too few affordable, quality child care spots for 4-year-olds.

As federal relief funding runs dry, a “COVID cliff” is looming for Michigan schools. Ann Arbor appears to have hit it early.

Michigan parents are heavily encouraged but not required to send their children to kindergarten. A Democratic-sponsored bill would make kindergarten a requirement.

As the state works to solve the ongoing teacher shortage, advocates are asking legislators to fund retention efforts in addition to educator pipelines.

A new plan would require more schools to buy defibrillators and train athletics coaches on how to use them. Advocates say that will save lives.

After school administrators said they didn’t think the proposed bills could be implemented within the required timeline, lawmakers amended the legislation to give schools more time.

MSU’s latest president, Kevin Guskiewicz, begins his term hours after Board of Trustees members take action against two of their own over ethics allegations.

An outside firm concludes MSU trustees Rema Vassar and Dennis Denno ‘engaged in conduct that exceeds the scope of their authority.’

Michigan’s traditional public schools continue to report declining enrollment as parents choose charter and private schools. Public school enrollment fell by 7,400 in fall of 2023 though it rose in the state’s publicly funded charter schools.

The state four-year high school graduation rate for 2023 is up slightly from 2022. See how your school district did.

Some Michigan student loan borrowers got good news from Biden this week: their student loans are being forgiven as part of a new income-based loan repayment program.

For the first time in years, the number of recent high school graduates in Michigan has increased. Statewide, 38.2% of last year’s graduates enrolled in four-year colleges, while more than half are in some higher education.

The increase is slight, but it moves the needle following a heavy investment in affordability. At the same time, enrollment at two-year colleges decreased.

Many Michigan colleges and universities offer guarantees that assure students won’t have to pay any out-of-pocket tuition costs.

The federal government isn’t sending student financial data to schools until mid-March. That adds a time crunch to schools and students. Some schools are easing deadlines.

Michigan is one of 11 states that doesn’t require parents to notify school or state officials when they homeschool children. Suggestions to count students has prompted an outcry from homeschoolers.

We asked. You answered. Bridge Michigan readers weigh in on proposal to count homeschoolers.