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Opinion: Michigan’s ‘alternative’ certification won’t improve teacher talent pool

Our guest author says that Michigan’s new route to teacher certification relies too heavily on old practices. More
New Features

Two languages, two cultures, one global citizen

Ted Delphia wants to open a public charter school where Japanese and American students learn with and from each other. More

Private schools cope with weak economy

Private and parochial schools are looking beyond the tuition model as a way to generate revenue. More

‘No Excuses’ at Dove Academy

College is the new norm at this elementary school. More

Should all charter teachers be in state pension plan?

As state lawmakers discuss changes in teacher retirement benefits, one idea in the mix would add all charter teachers to the system. More

Spend less? Tax more? System overhaul?

School officials heard from all sides of the education funding debate in an ‘Education Summit’ at Saginaw Valley State University recently. More
Review

Teacher certification tests don’t get the job done

Guest author Ryan McCarl says that the Michigan Test for Teacher Certification does little to pinpoint the best teacher candidates. More

Too Expensive For Michigan

Our schools pay far more than average for health insurance. More

More or less

Length of school year doesn’t predict achievement. More

Pool Party

Health pool a step forward. More

‘Dangerous’ to whom?

Behind rhetoric, privatization saves money. More

The ‘me’ in MEA

Pension proposal is expensive and does not help students. More

Dollars and sense

We need to teach students about free enterprise. More
Daily Digest User Comments Editor's Pick
"An aviation school in Michigan is one example of a new generation of public charter schools designed to serve niche audiences." >>
"A 10-year-old Windsor boy who completed part of his education in Michigan is being denied entry to public high school in Windsor even though he's completed the eighth-grade curriculum." >>
"Principal John Hoving is using Facebook as a way to promote Bay City All Saints Central School as well as to head off possible cyber bullying." >>
"Royal Oak Public Schools students will be featured in an Oct. 12 episode of MTV's "If You Really Knew Me," a cable television program that the producer describes as "students trying to be accepted for who they are."" >>
"Public schools in Michigan were offered an automatic "A" on part of their annual state report card this year, a one-time arrangement that may have spared some from being unaccredited." >>
"More than 1,000 teacher retirements will allow Detroit Public Schools to recall all teachers from layoff and hire up to 300 more to fill staffing gaps." >>
"Inland Lakes Schools is considering hiring a private firm to provide custodial services as a way to save money, but a union representative says that new federal funding makes such a move unnecessary." >>
"The Michigan Community College Association predicts it will win a legislative battle this week over allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees in specific areas." >>
"Michigan State University is investigating concerns raised by the Mackinac Center for Public Policy that some material in a study of school consolidation may have been plagiarized." >>
"About half of Michigan's public school districts have complied with a new law requiring them to post financial data online, while about 31 percent have not." >>
"A Wayne Circuit Court judge has ruled that Detroit Public Schools must return unionized security guards to their jobs rather than follow through with its contract with a private security firm." >>
"Mount Clemens Community School District teachers have ratified a four-year contract that partially ties pay hikes to job performance." >>
"Surplus money in the 2011 school aid fund would go to community colleges as part of a larger proposal by Gov. Jennifer Granholm to fill holes in the state budget this year and next." >>
"Leelanau Montessori will become a public charter school this fall, authorized by Suttons Bay Public Schools and located at Suttons Bay Elementary School." >>
"Chippewa Valley Schools received nearly 19,000 applications for 71 teaching jobs it recently posted." >>
"Consolidation of public school districts as a way to save money is on the front burner again in Michigan, but many districts say they're already saving cash by sharing services." >>
"The Los Angeles Times is publishing an independent analysis of the best and worst teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District using a "value-added" approach that shows wide variation in teacher effectiveness." >>
"The Michigan Senate agreed unanimously that an individual who has mastered a Native American tribal language does not have to be certified by the state before teaching that language in a public school classroom." >>
"A number of home-schooled students nationally enter college well before the typical age." >>
"Garden City Public Schools will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in interest this year as it borrows up to $10 million to smooth cash flow." >>