Features

Of the roughly 100,000 teachers in Michigan, 91 percent are white, 6.5 percent are African American, and 1 percent are Hispanic. Compare this to a student population that's 68 percent white, 18 percent African American, and nearly 7 percent Hispanic. But does a teacher’s race matter when it comes to effective teaching and student success? And what’s being done to address the lack of racial diversity in Michigan’s teaching workforce?

Ypsilanti Community Schools is a district with serious challenges, from a shrinking population to negative perceptions. Dr. Benjamin Edmonson is taking them all on with gusto. Here's what YCS's new superintendent has planned for the struggling schools.

And so are we as we take a one month break from custom content. But don’t let that fool you! We’re hard at work kicking off the second year of InspirED Michigan -- working to change the conversation about public schools by telling the stories of hope, creativity and innovation occurring every day in Michigan’s public schools. This month, we're sharing with readers a couple of our top-read stories from our first year at InspirED Michigan.

Want to make sure you never miss a story from InspirED Michigan? Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date with features and news changing the conversation about Michigan’s public schools.  

By building a bridge to an experience, staff members are giving students memories of a lifetime over the summer.

Students and teachers are having a summer of learning in Bronson, Michigan. Several years ago, the community pulled together several organizations and resources to provide summer learning for students and teachers. The small community has found out, when they all work together, great things can happen.

Over 150 students in grades three through six have access to a specialized hybrid summer learning program in Fraser Public Schools. The program, which is in its second year of existence, offers extended learning in English and math to Fraser Public Schools’ families.

Professional learning for educators has always been a summer endeavor. It’s a chance for teachers and administrators to soak up cutting edge changes in pedagogy and teaching tactics, while re-energizing themselves through connecting with other career-professionals.

Cadillac High School teacher, Janet Neyer, has a poster in her classroom that reads, “It’s exciting when you’ve written something you know is good.” Since participating in the Chippewa River Writing Project, she has felt that excitement every day in her classroom. The CRWP is an affiliate of the National Writing Project, an organization with a network of sites anchored at colleges and universities, serving teachers across disciplines and at all levels.

Summer vacation may mean students aren't sitting at desks, but teachers never truly rest in their efforts to recharge and reinvigorate for the next school year. InspirED chatted with Michigan Teacher of the Year, Melody Arabo, to discover how she re-energizes herself -- and her lesson plans -- throughout the summer months.  

Some small schools in the Upper Peninsula and northern lower Michigan face unique challenges of geography--island schools, and their close cousins, remote school districts.

Student success is the primary mission of every educator in the district. We will continuously innovate our practices and programs to improve student achievement. One example of this is a new evolving partnership between Port Huron Schools and the Port Huron Recreation Department.

A consortium of west Michigan educators who want to boost third-grade reading proficiency is utilizing its network to share ideas about combating the summer slide. Reading Now Network (RNN) developed a flier that aims to sneak fun, simple literacy activities into summer vacation, or any time of the year.

Most students­­­­ would agree that a break from school is great. But a break from the classroom doesn’t have to mean a break from learning. InspirED chatted with Zeeland Public Schools’ Lincoln Elementary principal, Tom DeGraaf, who has worked in the education system for over 20 years, to see what principals and schools are doing to prevent summer slide.    

School is out for summer -- pool parties, beach days and some much needed rest and relaxation are on the agenda for students, teachers and staff alike. Just as teachers shut the door on their classrooms, students often shut the door on learning. Once the initial summer excitement settles, the dangerous summer slide begins to set in.