Tracie Mauriello

Large, rural school districts make for long, expensive bus routes that eat up budgets. Attracting teachers can be difficult and high-speed internet is hard to find. Consolidation saves money but residents fear loss of community.

The state’s lowest-performing schools were the hardest hit during the disruption of the pandemic. But the state’s partnership program, which offers more resources and support to these schools, likely helped curb learning loss, an MSU study found.

State Supt. Michael Rice is behind an effort to upgrade and diversify teaching materials relating to significant events and movements like the holocaust, civil rights, contributions by indigenous people and citizenship. It comes amid a national debate over race, books and lesson plans in U.S. schools.

Michigan House lawmakers want schools to have health centers, lockdown kits, updated active-shooter drills, and more.

Educators howled when legislators passed a law allowing school staffers to serve as substitutes temporarily. Months later, hardly any schools regularly take advantage of the law.

A law already allows bus drivers to serve as substitute teachers. Now, lawmakers are considering allowing uncertified education majors to teach for a full year. ‘We need to do something,’ sponsor says.

Keeping students in classrooms amid a volatile pandemic remains an all-consuming topic for school leaders. Children are suffering from years of disruption as districts weigh how to spend billions in additional federal dollars.

A new analysis confirmed what had been feared: Online learning wasn’t as effective as in-person during the COVID-interrupted 2020-21 school year, and academic gaps between racial groups grew.

A bill allowing current school support staff to work as substitute teachers, even if they’ve never been to college, is meant to address a teacher shortage hobbling Michigan schools.

More than 90 percent of students flagged for retention were promoted, a study finds. Low-income and Black third-graders were more likely to be held back because of poor reading scores.

State officials issued guidance Friday recommending students mask-up in school in the fall. That’ll be a hard sell to schools and students.

Bills to remove SAT scores from student transcripts in Michigan could help shrink the importance of the college entrance exam.