Watch Bridge Lunch Break on challenges, opportunities in Michigan education
- Education reporter Isabel Lohman moderated Bridge’s latest Lunch Break reader event about preK-12 education trends, challenges and opportunities
- Among the topics: Teacher shortages and solutions for bringing educators to the field, pre-K investment, helping students who have fallen behind academically and more
- Watch the full recording of the discussion below
Bridge Michigan’s monthly Lunch Break event returned this week for a lively discussion about preK-12 education in our state as students head back to school for the 2024-25 school year.
Panelists included Melanie Depray Learst, director of curriculum and instruction for Westwood Community Schools, Jack Elsey, founder and CEO of Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative, Karin Nowak, director of Gretchen's House and Alena Zachery-Ross, superintendent of Ypsilanti Community Schools.
Bridge Michigan education reporter Isabel Lohman moderated the discussion.
If you missed this live Zoom event, you can stream it below.
The solutions-oriented conversation included discussion about shortages of teachers and other education professionals, chronic absenteeism and efforts to address it, investment in pre-K education and pay for these educators, assessing student achievement, serving students with dyslexia, helping students access and complete post-secondary credentials, assisting students struggling with their mental health and more.
Bridge’s Lunch Break monthly series focuses on timely topics facing our state. Previous discussions have included examinations of efforts to educate students for careers, solutions to gun violence, the long-term impact of pollution from the automotive industry, youth mental health and ideas for growing the state’s population.
Related:
- School officials ‘appalled’ by Michigan budget cut to mental health, safety
- M-STEP results reveal struggles for Michigan kids who began school in COVID
- One year later, Michigan starts helping teachers repay student loans
- In Michigan, 1 in 3 students miss 18+ days of school a year, data shows
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Our Lunch Break series will continue in late October. The date, time and topic will be announced soon.
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