Education

TEDxMSU will be back on Wednesday. Scott Pohl talks with organizer Zeria Cummings and speaker Maggie Hermanson.

Architecture has a major diversity problem. Out of all the licensed professionals in the U.S., less than five percent identify as black or Latino. A new collaboration between the University of Michigan and Detroit Public Schools is trying to change that. We learn more about the Architecture Prep Program from Current State’s April Van Buren.

Nearly 20 years ago, the Michigan legislature established Michigan Virtual University to promote online education. We learn more from MVU president and CEO Jamey Fitzpatrick.

Republicans in Michigan’s House of Representatives have created an aggressive plan for fixing Detroit Public Schools. Critics complain that it weakens collective bargaining and delays a fully-elected school board. We talk with a charter school advocate who says the measures are worth a close look.

The potential bankruptcy of Detroit Public Schools is dominating education headlines, but Michigan officials are trying to look beyond the current emergency and put the state on the track to becoming a top 10 education state by 2026. Current State talks to the president of the State Board of Education, John Austin, about what it will take to do that.

We’ve talked about the importance of literacy on Current State before, but there’s a relatively new organization we haven’t yet heard from. Energizing Education was created to ensure all children in Jackson County are reading at or above grade level by the 4th grade. We speak with Program Manager Kriss Giannetti about the creative ways they help kids become strong readers.

The end is nearing for Michigan’s controversial Education Achievement Authority. With that and urgent Detroit Public Schools reforms being discussed in the legislature, where are we and what is the way ahead? We speak with Tonya Allen of the Coalition for the Education of Detroit Schoolchildren and MSU professor David Arsen, who has studied the EAA.

Does irritating, boorish behavior get on your nerves? If you’re a woman, you’re more likely to answer that question with a “yes” than a man is, according to a recent study led by an MSU psychology professor. We speak with professor Christopher Hopwood, who headed the study.

Were the recent “sickouts” staged by dozens of Detroit Public School teachers actually an illegal strike? 

In 2013, the Lansing School District made national headlines when it axed its art and music teachers as part of a deficit reduction plan despite significant opposition from the community. Now, the Arts Council of Greater Lansing is hoping to fill the arts gap in Lansing Schools. Current State’s April Van Buren reports on the organization’s new artist-in-residence program.

Detroit Public Schools’ debt has been ballooning for years. Now, officials say Michigan’s largest school district could be bankrupt by April. Detroit Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley joins us to talk about the proposed plan to help Detroit schools avoid that fate.

In 2014, federal officials investigated MSU’s response to campus sexual harassment and assault. They ordered reforms. Two new university officials recently assumed leadership positions in the school’s effort. Current State talks with Ande Durojaiye and Jessica Norris of MSU’s Office of Institutional Equity.

A new report from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce finds Michigan is among the worst states when it comes to academic outcomes of black students compared to their white peers. We talk to MSU Associate Professor Dorinda Carter Andrews about what’s contributing to Michigan’s achievement gap and what can be done about it.

Free speech advocates have been voicing concerns over the impact of political correctness on college campuses. They say it’s inhibiting discussions of race and other important issues. We talk with an MSU College of Law professor Adam Candeub about the issue.

Gourmet food trucks are a cultural phenomenon. They’re an increasingly familiar sight on city streets and college campuses. There’s a new food truck hitting the streets in mid-Michigan soon, and this one is different. Current State's Kevin Lavery reports on the first food truck run by high school students in the state of Michigan.