Michigan

News, analysis, and opinion about K-12 education in Michigan
A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series M&M'S Fan Appreciation 400 on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
A Let's Go Brandon flag and an American flag fly during the NASCAR Cup Series on July 24, 2022, at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa. The slogan originated at a 2021 NASCAR race in Talladega, Ala., and quickly became a coded way of criticizing then-President Joe Biden. An appeals court in a free speech case said school administrators were within bounds insisting a student not wear a shirt with the slogan because of its implied vulgarity.
Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via AP Images
Law & Courts Appeals Court Backs School Administrators Who Banned 'Let's Go Brandon!' Shirts
A coded message of political criticism was vulgar and can be barred in schools.
Mark Walsh, October 16, 2025
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5 min read
David Nelson, his wife Hannah Jones-Nelson, and their dog "Bear" sit in the favorite room of their new house. Nelson was awarded a $10,000 commitment bonus provided to new teachers in Flint. He plans to use most of the money for house improvements and maintenance. Thursday, August 21, 2025..
David Nelson, his wife Hannah Jones-Nelson, and their dog Bear sit in their favorite room of their new house in Flint, Mich., on Aug. 21, 2025. Nelson was awarded a $10,000 commitment bonus provided to new teachers in Flint. He plans to use most of the money for house improvements and maintenance.
Valaurian Waller for Education Week
Recruitment & Retention This District Is Betting on a $10K Signing Bonus for New Teachers. Is It Enough?
Teachers are being awarded bonuses of up to $12,000 to join a district that, like its surrounding community, is working to rebuild.
Elizabeth Heubeck, August 26, 2025
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6 min read
Unrecognizable woman using mobile phone while calculating the amount of her bills at home. Focus is on hand and cell phone.
E+/Getty
College & Workforce Readiness Q&A 'Adulting 101': The High School Class Teaching Real-Life Skills
Beyond core academics, what skills should high school students master before they graduate?
Elizabeth Heubeck, June 17, 2025
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6 min read
Photograph of a person in jeans walking on a sidewalk and passing a yellow and black voting place sign in the grass.
E+
School Choice & Charters What the Research Says How School Choice Complicates District Bond Elections
Families who transfer children out of their residential districts may be less likely to vote in bond elections, researchers find.
Evie Blad, May 30, 2025
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3 min read
Third grader Parker, left, and a classmate at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., practice reading on April 12, 2023. After falling behind in the early days of the pandemic, Parker started this school year reading at the level of a first grader. He did months of phonics drills and small-group work, and made tremendous progress. "I actually do like reading now," Parker said.
Third grader Parker, left, and a classmate at Highland Elementary School in Columbus, Kan., practice reading on April 12, 2023. Parker started this school year reading at the level of a 1st grader, but caught up after months of phonics drills and small-group work. Kansas doesn't retain 3rd graders based on reading scores, but many states that do now provide similar supports to students at risk of repeating the grade.
Nicholas Ingram/AP
Reading & Literacy What the Research Says Is 3rd Grade Retention the Secret to Better Reading Outcomes—Or Something Else?
A new study suggests that the benefit to kids doesn’t actually come from having them repeat a grade.
Sarah Schwartz, May 21, 2025
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5 min read
A kindergarten teacher addresses her class.
A kindergarten teacher addresses her class.
Allison Shelley for All4Ed
Teaching Video Teachers, Try This: Building a Safe Space for Students
For many students, school is the one place where their needs are consistently met. One teacher explains how he ensures that’s the case.
Lauren Santucci, December 5, 2024
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3:55
Visitors take photographs of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2024, in Washington.
Visitors take photographs of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 18, 2024, in Washington.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
Law & Courts Two Notable Education Cases the Supreme Court Declined to Take Up This Term
The justices turned away cases on public aid to nonpublic schools and the 2021 controversy over school board protests.
Mark Walsh, October 7, 2024
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4 min read
Registered Nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from Grayling Stefek, 5, at Eisenhower Elementary School on Jan. 26, 2016 in Flint, Mich. The students were being tested for lead after the metal was found in the city's drinking water.
Registered Nurse Brian Jones draws a blood sample from Grayling Stefek, 5, at Eisenhower Elementary School on Jan. 26, 2016 in Flint, Mich. The students were being tested for lead after the metal was found in the city's drinking water. The "final step" of a settlement was reached recently, with a distribution plan outlining how roughly $9.69 million will be spent to bolster special education services.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Special Education Lead Exposure Has Plagued Special Education in Flint. Can $10 Million Fix It?
A multi-million-dollar settlement agreement will try to improve the special education system in Flint, Mich.
Brooke Schultz, September 26, 2024
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6 min read
Illustration of a diverse woman on a teeter board with a clock in one hand and a compass in the other.
iStock/Getty
School & District Management Video How This Principal Protects Her Teachers’ Work-Life Balance
Work-life balance is possible for teachers. School and district leaders play a big role in making it happen.
Lauren Santucci, September 11, 2024
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4:12
From left, Andrew Rebello, former principal, Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, Mass.; Tracie Anderson Swilley, principal, Fairfield Central High School, Winnsboro, S.C.; Job Wilcox, principal, Petoskey Middle School, Petoskey, Mich.
From left, Andrew Rebello, former principal, Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, Fall River, Mass.; Tracie Anderson Swilley, principal, Fairfield Central High School, Winnsboro, S.C.; Job Wilcox, principal, Petoskey Middle School, Petoskey, Mich.
Courtesy of NASSP
School & District Management Meet the 3 Finalists for National Principal of the Year
All three finalists spoke about the need to lift up their peers.
Olina Banerji, September 6, 2024
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5 min read
Alaysia Kimble, 9, laughs with fellow students while trying on a firefighter’s hat and jacket at Estabrook Elementary during the Grizzle Learning Camp on June, 26, 2024 in Ypsilanti, Mich.
Alaysia Kimble, 9, laughs with fellow students while trying on a firefighter’s hat and jacket at Estabrook Elementary during the Grizzly Learning Camp on June, 26, 2024 in Ypsilanti, Mich. The district, with 70 percent of its students coming from low-income backgrounds, is struggling with how to continue funding the popular summer program after ESSER funds dry up.
Sylvia Jarrus for Education Week
Education Funding Inside a Summer Learning Camp With an Uncertain Future After ESSER
A high-poverty district offers an enriching, free summer learning program. But the end of ESSER means tough choices.
Elizabeth Heubeck, July 2, 2024
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5 min read
Scarce classroom of students taking exams at their desks with empty desks in the foreground.
iStock/Getty Images Plus
School & District Management What the Research Says What Districts With the Worst Attendance Have in Common
Districts often lack a systemic approach to coping with the spike in chronic attendance problems, a Michigan study suggests.
Sarah D. Sparks, April 25, 2024
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4 min read
Parents take photos of their children during a Black History Month program at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Parents take photos of their children during a Black History Month program at Stevenson Elementary School in Southfield, Mich., on Feb. 28, 2024.
Samuel Trotter for Education Week
Families & the Community How a School Made Parents Central to Its Turnaround
A strategy to constantly bring parents into the school has been central to rising achievement at a Detroit-area elementary school.
Libby Stanford, April 25, 2024
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16 min read
Dearborn BS
Teaching Opinion 'We Need Help': Teaching Amid Turbulence (Video)
None of her experiences as a Black woman or her professional training prepared her for this moment, explains a high school teacher.
Mercedes Harvey-Flowers, April 17, 2024
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3 min read
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