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Majority of Flint residents support reparations for Black Americans, CRJ survey shows
By Lauren Slagter On November 7, 2023 More than half of Flint residents favor reparations for Black Americans, although levels of support vary depending on whether the proposal refers to reparations as a broad concept or specific reparative policies like cash payments or financial support for housing and education. A new report from the University…
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The Critical Need to Teach the History of Mass Incarceration
By Benjamin Weber On November 20, 2023 Beneath the bluster over what’s taught in schools is a struggle over the future of justice itself. Pressure to remove topics like mass incarceration from school curricula in places like Florida and from the College Board’s Advanced Placement (AP) African American History course reveals precisely why we must continue teaching it. Those…
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Detroit Public Library cardholders can do more than just borrow books
By David Rodriguez Muñoz On December 1, 2023 Matthew Scheich, a technical training associate, leads a genealogy researching class inside the Detroit Public Library Redford Branch in Detroit on Nov. 21, 2023. The Finding Your Roots class teaches library members how to use an online database through the Detroit Public Library to research their ancestry.…
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Detroit board members consider ambitious approach for student literacy growth
By Ethan Bakuli On November 7, 2023 With $94 million earmarked for the Detroit school district to improve student reading levels in the next three years, district board members are eager to see that money spent toward ambitious ideas to grow literacy awareness across the city. At a retreat for the Detroit Public Schools Community…
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Gaps in Michigan student achievement remain wider than pre-pandemic norm, report finds
By Hannah Dellinger On November 16, 2023 The gaps between Michigan’s lowest and highest performing K-8 students are wider than would have been expected before the pandemic, and some students are falling further behind, according to an analysis of benchmark testing results released this week. However, the students and districts that saw the most learning…
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Detroit district’s transfer policy may be changed to reduce classroom disruption
By Ethan Bakuli On October 18, 2023 Detroit school district officials are proposing to standardize the transfer process for students and families looking to switch between district schools during the school year. Nikolai Vitti, superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools Community District, said the new policy guidance would help address possible disruptions to classroom learning if students…
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Michigan lawmakers OK debt relief for some districts, and a change in teacher evaluations
By Lori Higgins On November 3, 2023 Another round of education legislation is headed to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s desk after Michigan lawmakers passed a budget bill that will provide debt relief for some of the most financially troubled districts in the state, as well as a bill that will change how teachers are evaluated. The…
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GCU hit with $37.7 million fine as feds say school ‘deceived’ doctoral students
By Sasha Hupka On October 31, 2023 The U.S. Department of Education will fine Grand Canyon University $37.7 million for “deceiving” students in its marketing of doctoral degrees, officials announced Tuesday. The news comes after GCU President Brian Mueller publicly aired grievances with the investigation in early October, accusing the Department of Education of coordinating with other…
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Race/Ethnicity, Socioeconomics, Age Contribute to Disparities in Cancer Death
Overall cancer mortality rates about 1.6 to 2.8 times higher for those with ≤12 years versus ≥16 years of education By Elana Gotkine On November 22, 2023 Factors contributing to disparities in cancer death include race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographic location, and age, according to a study published online Nov. 14 in CA: A Cancer Journal for…
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