Articles on Education

Includes community colleges, early childhood, funding, global engagement, higher education, policy, public schools, research, and universities.

Mandatory Elementary Recess in Plan For Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Sun-Times, January 23, 2012

The Chicago Public School system for the first time has spelled out exactly what it wants the next school year’s longer day to look like. It ensures recess for all elementary students, according to guidelines being presented to principals Monday.

Community College Gears Up Shale Drilling Training Program
State Impact, January 20, 2012
The growing natural gas drilling industry in Ohio and neighboring states means drilling companies need more trained workers. Thanks to a $5 million federal grant, five Midwest-colleges are offering Marcellus shale drilling courses.

USDOT Grants Target Three Rail, Intermodal Research Centers
Progressive Railroading, January 20, 2012
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently awarded a $3.5 million grant to a multi-university consortium led by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign to establish a rail transportation and engineering research center.

Purdue Receives Transportation Funding
Inside Indiana Business, January 20, 2012
The NEXTRANS Center at Purdue University has been awarded a $3.5 million research grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to advance research and education programs that address the nation's critical transportation challenges.Purdue will lead a consortium of eight other Midwest universities in Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, including the private Martin University in Indianapolis.

U. of I. Trustees Hike Tuition, Fees By Almost 5 Percent
Chicago Tribune, January 19, 2012
University of Illinois freshmen will pay more than $24,000 this fall for tuition, fees and housing, an amount board members approved today as one trustee urged the group to “keep tuition in check.”

Who is in the News? -- Eastern Iowa Community Colleges Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center
Quad-City Times, January 16, 2012
The Eastern Iowa Community Colleges Advanced Technology Environmental and Energy Center in Davenport has received the 2012 Inspiring Efficiency Education Award from the Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance.

Illinois Program Will Educate Students on Wind Power
Renewable Energy World, January 9, 2012
Matt Aldeman, senior energy analyst for the Center for Renewable Energy at Illinois State University, said the program's purpose is to engage Illinois teachers and students in energy education, specifically targeting wind energy.

Training Community College Students To Implement Health IT
Governing.com, January 3, 2012
A Midwestern community college consortium is working to train over 5,000 individuals in supporting electronic health record implementations at hospitals and doctor offices.

December 2011

Mike Duggan Setting Up College Scholarships For DMC Families
Detroit News, December 21, 2011
Beginning next fall, Mike Duggan plans to use his $770,000 in currently valued stock from Vanguard Health Systems Inc. to help finance college educations for the children of Detroit Medical Center employees.

Illinois Leads Midwest in R&D Spending at Universities
Chicago Tribune, December 19th, 2011
Illinois leads the Midwest in research and development expenditures at universities and colleges, but the state could benefit from additional diversity in the source of funds, according to the December installment of the Illinois Innovation Index.

State School Districts Seek Waiver to Teacher Evaluations
Detroit News, December 19, 2011
More than 40 percent of Michigan's school districts are seeking waivers from a new state law requiring them to adopt a uniform teacher evaluation system by 2013.

Michigan Denied 'Race to the Top' Funds Again
Detroit News, December 17, 2011

Michigan has failed for a third time to win federal education grants — this time for early childhood learning.On Friday, federal education officials announced nine states that are winners of the $500 million federal Race to the Top Early Learning Challenge Grant.

Illinois Loses Out on $70 mil. in Federal Education Funds
Chicago Business, December 16, 2011
Illinois is not among nine states that will share $500 million in grant money won Friday in a high-profile competition intended to jump-start improvements in often-overlooked early childhood programs.

How a School District Landed at the Springfield Bargaining Table
Chicago News Cooperative, December 16, 2011
Crates and her school district had suddenly found themselves at the epicenter of Illinois’s latest political and financial crisis, described by one lawmaker as round-robin blackmail among Midwestern states.

My View: State Leads Way in Tying Funding to Graduation
Indianapolis Star, December 16, 2011
As someone who has spent a career navigating the tough terrain of advancing improvements to America's higher education system -- particularly in the Midwest -- Indiana's effort is an important milestone in our nation's campaign to ensure more students are completing college.

Report: College Illinois! Could Need $1.6 Billion Bailout
Chicago Sun-Times, December 13, 2011
Illinois’ financially tanking prepaid college tuition program could require a $1.6 billion bailout from the state to remain solvent during the next 25 years, a new study shows.

OTHER VOICES: State Can Regain Lead in Manufacturing
Crain's Detroit Business, December 11, 2011
The Midwest is a bellwether for the nation's economic health, and the state of Michigan has unique opportunities to retool itself to help drive a knowledge-based economy. We must now capitalize on two strengths: manufacturing heritage and our unlimited capacity of talent and innovation.

High-paying Tech Jobs Await, but Few Step Up
Argus Leader, December 10, 2011
The state faces a shortage of workers interested in skilled trades such as manufacturing, electrical work, machining and welding. Community, education and business leaders say it’s because of a false perception and image problem that make work associated with technical schools seem inferior to four-year college degrees in business or history. In reality, the technical jobs often are more lucrative.

IU Kokomo Chancellor Speaks about Regionalism at National Conference 
Kokomo Perspective, December 8, 2011
Indiana University Kokomo's pioneering approach to transforming the region through knowledge, innovation, and entrepreneurship was spotlighted this week during a national conference in Washington, D.C.

MPS Students Score Lower than Most Urban Peers on National Test
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, December 7, 2011
In the study’s 2011 math results, Milwaukee’s fourth-graders on average outperformed their peers in only three other cities — Detroit, Fresno, Calif., and Cleveland. In eighth-grade math, MPS students outscored only their peers in Detroit, just like in 2009.

Report Details Staggering Cost of High-School Dropouts
Chicago Business, December 7, 2011
In a study that puts some solid numbers behind a phenomenon that's widely suspected, the report prepared for Chicago and Illinois school and civic leaders says high-school dropouts can expect to collect food stamps at a much higher rate than others, never own a home and earn only about half what someone with a diploma or GED will make.

More Classroom Time Viewed as Vital for Student Teachers
Des Moines Register, December 5, 2011
Prospective teachers would spend more time observing veteran educators and honing their craft in the classroom under a proposal designed to make Iowa’s schools the best in the nation.

November 2011

Crane, Dyett High Schools to be Phased Out in CPS Shake-Up
Chicago Sun-Times, November 30, 2011
Flagging Dyett and Crane high schools would die a slow death by no longer enrolling freshmen, and four struggling elementary schools would be closed by summer under the second wave of academic shake-ups proposed by Chicago Public School leaders this week.

State to Fine Detroit Public Schools for High Truancy
Detroit News, November 28, 2011
State officials are weighing how much to penalize Detroit Public Schools for persistent truancy, a problem that could cost the financially troubled district up to $25.9 million, according to documents obtained by The Detroit News.

Emanuel’s Point Man on School Closings
Chicago News Cooperative, November 22, 2011
Closing down underperforming public schools in Chicago has historically been a traumatic process, with battle lines drawn between affected communities and district leaders. School closures take on an even greater significance this year, because they are designed to be the first step in the strategic plan of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his handpicked school administration to overhaul the struggling system.

Struggling Grads Get Help on Loans
Associated Press, November 14, 2011
To help ease the financial distress, federal education officials in recent weeks have been raising awareness about an underused program intended to lessen the burden for borrowers who don't earn a lot. The program, called Income-Based Repayment, captured the national spotlight when President Barack Obama announced a plan last week to speed up a law that will make it more forgiving.

Booth Boots Kellogg From Top of Businessweek's EMBA List
Crain's Chicago Business, November 10, 2011
The University of Chicago's executive MBA program is the best in the world, says Bloomberg Businessweek, knocking Northwestern University's program out of the No. 1 spot for the first time in the list's history.

Michigan Schools Reap 'Best Practices' Windfall
Detroit News, November 7, 2011
School districts across Metro Detroit are getting thousands and even millions of dollars back from the state this fall for enacting "best practices" included in Gov. Rick Snyder's 2012 budget. As of last week, 38 public districts and charter schools had been approved by the Michigan Department of Education for payments of $100 per student for adopting measures such as privatizing or consolidating services.

Exam Shows State's Reading, Math Scores Statistically Flat Since 2009
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, November 1, 2011
What the average Wisconsin student knows and can do in reading and math in both fourth and eighth grade is virtually the same as what the average student could do in those subjects in 2009, according to the results of a national report released Tuesday.

October 2011

Students Still Wait for Books at DPS
Detroit News, October 28, 2011
At Cass Tech High School alone, teachers are short nearly 2,400 textbooks in grades 9-12 for subjects including chemistry, geometry, Spanish and U.S. history, according to a survey done by the Detroit Federation of Teachers. Teachers at the nationally recognized "School of Excellence" say they are missing 950 textbooks in chemistry alone and 250 in U.S. history.

Jammed Detroit Public School Cited as Hazard
Detroit News, October 26, 2011
A Detroit public school was cited Tuesday by the Detroit Fire Marshal's Office for overcrowding after a parent complained to fire officials that too many children were in her son's kindergarten class.

Public College Tuition Climbs 8% from Last Fall
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 26, 2011
In Wisconsin, in-state tuition and fees for the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the fall 2011 semester totaled $4,832.50, compared with $4,491.60 for the fall 2010 semester; in-state tuition and fees for UW-Milwaukee for the fall 2011 semester totaled $4,337.70, compared with $4,075.63 for the fall 2010 semester.

Wisconsin is at an Educational Crossroads
BizTimes.com, October 25, 2011
Wisconsin State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers delivers his take on the current condition of the state's public schools, including how his department has addressed several core challenges.

Cleveland Fed Leader Cites Concerns About U.S. Development
Toledo Blade, October 20, 2011
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland told a Toledo audience Thursday that while technological and productivity advances have helped manufacturers improve their costs, the nation and the region are falling behind in their “development of human capital,” forcing companies to locate elsewhere.

Feds Working to Boost Transit Manufacturing
Detroit News, October 18, 2011
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank unveiled the partnership Tuesday to boost U.S. suppliers take advantage of government transportation investments. The government recently set aside $782 million to buy domestically built passenger rail trains that will travel in California, Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan, Indiana and Iowa. That includes $268 million approved in August to buy 7 locomotives and 48 cars for use in the Midwest -- including Michigan.

Support for Iowa Schools Plan Elusive
Des Moines Register, October 16, 2011
Several lawmakers say they largely agree that Iowa’s schools need a new direction. No one, however, has stepped forward to support Gov. Terry Branstad’s comprehensive blueprint for change, which was unveiled this month. They, instead, say they want more details, especially when it comes to cost.

MBA Applications Drop at Booth, Kellogg, Loyola
Crain's Chicago Business, October 10, 2011
Applications to most of Chicago's business schools are declining, as the recession makes would-be graduate students more wary of taking on huge education debts in an uncertain job market.