http://blog.mlive.com/schoolzone/Kalamazoo-area education covered by Julie Mack of the Kalamazoo GazetteenMovable Type Enterprise 4.29-advance http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/noKalamazoo-area education covered by Julie Mack of the Kalamazoo GazetteKalamazoo-area education covered by Julie Mack of the Kalamazoo Gazetteschoolzonehttp://feedburner.google.comhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/40Y_5lO6kWM/gov_rick_snyder_is_far_more_ho.htmlEducationElementary / Secondary education1556159025619791485242512041791468Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comWed, 25 Apr 2012 06:50:43 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.8163966 ]]>For all of Gov. Rick Snyder's emphasis on "relentless positive action," the K-12 community -- at least in Kalamazoo County -- isn't feeling the love. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/gov_rick_snyder_is_far_more_ho.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/5gTyBT0CPP8/is_a_dramatic_turnaround_possi.htmlEducationElementary / Secondary education63364120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSun, 22 Apr 2012 20:20:05 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.8152024 ]]>Comstock officials are seeking a 'dramatic' turnaround to halt a slide in enrollment and test scores. What strategies might they consider? How realistic is a 'dramatic' turnaround for struggling district?http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/is_a_dramatic_turnaround_possi.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/bL1xLOsXgKI/a_closer_look_at_the_gender_ga.htmlEducationElementary / Secondary education120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSat, 21 Apr 2012 21:40:32 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.8148260 ]]>Michigan males that started high school in fall 2007 were almost 50 percent more likely to drop out of high school as female students, and even those that stayed in school were less likely to graduate on time, according to Michigan's latest high school graduation/dropout report. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/04/a_closer_look_at_the_gender_ga.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/Hrg-9GP-RXc/does_it_matter_that_charters_s.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSun, 15 Apr 2012 22:28:14 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.8112544 ]]>At one point, Republicans were pushing for a mandate that schools spend 65 percent of their operating budgets on instruction. Is that a good idea?http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/04/does_it_matter_that_charters_s.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/7D0gQCSwyck/a_look_at_the_history_of_mpser.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comMon, 09 Apr 2012 10:30:17 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.8048603 ]]>Did former Michigan Gov. John Engler "rob" MPSERS in the 1990s?http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/04/a_look_at_the_history_of_mpser.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/M4W8bqwcJ9c/kalamazoo_gazette_reporter_jul_1.htmlEducationElementary / Secondary education120417Kalamazoo Gazette staffFri, 30 Mar 2012 08:37:00 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.8018806 ]]>Julie Mack, the Kalamazoo Gazette's award-winning education reporter, is the featured speaker at Monday's breakfast meeting of the Kalamazoo Citizens for Responsible Government.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/03/kalamazoo_gazette_reporter_jul_1.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/gY6wY5eZQqc/is_head_start_effective_some_q.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comThu, 15 Mar 2012 08:57:59 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7914544 ]]>As Kalamazoo County officials debate the future of Kalamazoo County Head Start and whether administration of the program should change hands, some have questioned the program's worth.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/03/is_head_start_effective_some_q.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/MOT2aT5AX-E/three_factors_that_can_help_id.htmlKalamazoo - Home Page - Business120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comMon, 12 Mar 2012 20:10:00 PDTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7895137 ]]>What are the common denominators among middle-school students who go on to drop out of high school? What are the top early warning signs?http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/03/three_factors_that_can_help_id.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/huFWINOQvR0/as_michigan_lawmakers_consider.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSat, 10 Mar 2012 05:57:00 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7882905 ]]>A 10-month investigation by Colorado journalists found thatstate's cyberschool students fall academically behind and their counterparts in the state's traditional public schools suffer too because those schools must absorb former online students while the virtual schools and their parent companies get to keep the state funding.http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/03/as_michigan_lawmakers_consider.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/HX_8hW1DVTg/blowback_on_using_value-added.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comFri, 09 Mar 2012 06:30:53 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7875824 ]]>As Michigan schools implement new teacher evaluation systems this year, there's been a slew of recent news stories from across the country about good teachers getting tripped up by flawed performance measures.http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/03/blowback_on_using_value-added.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/HJrXvZ9gt-M/early-childhood_education_is_o.htmlJulie Mack120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comWed, 07 Mar 2012 18:36:31 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4620.7855836 ]]>The rhetoric from conservatives about Kalamazoo County Head Start isn't all that different from the rhetoric on the left -- a recognition that Head Start is a valuable anti-poverty program with the potential to get parents and preschoolers on the right track.http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/03/early-childhood_education_is_o.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/z1OYeB5SIG0/termination_of_schoolcraft_hig.html12041792482Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comTue, 06 Mar 2012 07:05:32 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7857414 ]]>That Schoolcraft was willing to dismiss a popular principal at a high-performing school says much about the changing focus in education.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/03/termination_of_schoolcraft_hig.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/uSLyZl8wJYY/is_rick_santorum_right_that_pr.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comMon, 27 Feb 2012 10:12:19 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7807581 ]]>Sunday morning in an interview with George Stephanopoulas on ABC, presidential hopeful Rick Santorum called President Barack Obama a "snob" for urging young adults to obtain a college education.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/is_rick_santorum_right_that_pr.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/7o-wLDj25zE/as_us_supreme_court_reconsider.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comThu, 23 Feb 2012 08:59:55 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7783821 ]]>What's happened in Michigan since Proposition 2 was passed in 2006 may be the future for the nation as the U.S. Supreme Court agrees to reconsider affirmative action in higher education.http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/02/as_us_supreme_court_reconsider.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/F-wiMli32G4/the_good_old_days_of_education.htmlMLive - LivingMLive - Opinion120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comMon, 20 Feb 2012 18:56:19 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7768198 ]]>There's a considerable amount of evidence that academic outcomes have improved considerably in the past three or four decades, and virtually no evidence that students today are less proficient.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/the_good_old_days_of_education.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/2kvsuRgM3dw/change_in_meap_cut_scores_the.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSun, 19 Feb 2012 09:16:17 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7760574 ]]>Economist and former school board member Tim Bartik points out the new MEAP cut scores are the equivalent of raising standards by three grade levels in math and two and two/thirds grade levels in reading.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/change_in_meap_cut_scores_the.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/6f-zqmugTqQ/increase_in_michigan_states_in.htmlEducation120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comMon, 13 Feb 2012 17:35:23 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7727860 ]]>Much has been written in recent months in the national media about the explosion of Chinese students enrolling in American universities. In Michigan, that trend has been most evident at Michigan State.http://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/02/increase_in_michigan_states_in.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/19JofdCMBYw/has_michigans_faltering_econom.htmlBusiness120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSat, 11 Feb 2012 11:32:05 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/education/index.ssf//3940.7715123 ]]>The same week Education Trust - Midwest released a report that suggests Michigan is falling behind in academic achievement compared to other states, the New York Times is reporting on a new study out of Stanford suggests that, more than ever, achievement is linked to family incomehttp://www.mlive.com/education/index.ssf/2012/02/has_michigans_faltering_econom.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/345wBw9bDy4/inkster_school_illustrates_the.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comWed, 08 Feb 2012 16:48:32 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4620.7703381 ]]>An Inkster elementary school is held up as a state model. But it turns out that Inkster Public Schools also underscore the challenges faced by high-poverty districts.http://www.mlive.com/opinion/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/inkster_school_illustrates_the.htmlhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/schoolzone/~3/O3iqsAmmjkM/fact-checking_jase_bolgers_sta.html120417Julie Mack | jmack1@mlive.comSun, 05 Feb 2012 13:03:15 PSTtag:www.mlive.com,2012:/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf//4132.7684687 ]]>House Speaker Jase Bolger's defense about last year's K-12 education cuts is drawing furious reaction from some online readers.http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/02/fact-checking_jase_bolgers_sta.htmlnonadult