State takeover is the assumption of control of a school district or municipality by the state as the result of fiscal insolvency and/or lack of academic achievement. Takeover eliminates the control and ability of local communities to appoint democratically elected and locally responsible officials in favor of a state-appointed emergency manager. The job of the … Continue reading The Empire Strikes Back: State Takeover and its Effect on Communities
Category: Education
By: Brian Krause On January 6th, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt gave his historic eighth State of the Union address and inspired the American people with his famous Four Freedoms. The freedoms of speech and worship, with the right to live without fear and want, were spoken to be as inalienable as the rights laid … Continue reading “Necessitous Men Are Not Free Men”: The Case for FDR’s Second Bill of Rights Today
One year ago Larry Nassar’s trial showcased the negligence and lack of accountability of MSU’s administration. After the trial, resignation of MSU President Louanna K. Simon, the appointment of former Michigan Governor John Engler as Interim President, numerous investigations, an announcement of a closed-presidential search, a Board of Trustees election, the closing of the Healing … Continue reading MSU Needs more than a Resignation
One of the most common maxims of the United States is: “everyone hates taxes.” The collective consciousness of taxes is that they are a heavy social burden and an irreconcilable nuisance. Even those who support raising taxes feel the need to vilify it by complaining about the percentage of their paychecks removed by the federal … Continue reading Burning Bridges: How Michigan’s Tax System has Eroded its Infrastructure
In May of 2018, the mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, made what many deemed the lofty promise of free, universal, all day pre-K for every four-year-old in the city. This announcement follows the lead of both the Mayor of New York’s Bill De Blasio’s Universal pre-K initiative and several states that have increased their funding … Continue reading An Equal Start: The Case for Universal Pre-K
On January 5, 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) eliminated the “six part test” to determine if the someone could be classified as an “unpaid intern.” The DOL then established a “primary beneficiary test” that does not include a set of requirements to determine if someone could actually be classified as an “unpaid intern.” … Continue reading Unpaid and Unprotected
Editor's Note: These three posts come to us from three students at the University of Michigan who have been working with our own Manon Steel on her charter school project. We're presenting them on our blog, and hope you find them informative. House Bill 5288 By James Stinnett In November of last year, Representative Sherry Gay-Dagnogo introduced Bill … Continue reading As We Stand: Solutions for Michigan Education Today
MSU is known for its sprawling campus, cold winters, and quagmire of transportation. First year students are not allowed to buy a parking pass, and the public bus system (CATA) only runs effectively on weekdays. Students who choose to bike must often navigate through large crowds, sometimes with freezing brakes, or though icy roads and … Continue reading Residential and Hospitality Services: A Stagnant Spot in MSU’s “Culture of Learning and Collaboration”
This piece is co-authored by Manon Steel, Roosevelt’s National Education Policy Coordinator and a member of Roosevelt @ MSU, and Connor Rockhill, a student at the University of Michigan and a member of Roosevelt @ U of M. If you’re interested in getting involved with Roosevelt @ U of M, check them out on Twitter or Facebook. Secretary … Continue reading A Quality Education: Michigan’s Report Card
We need to change the way we talk about sexual misconduct, specifically in regard to consent. Though recent activism throughout the entertainment industry and college campuses has sparked outcry for such change, policies regarding affirmative consent, as well as societal engagement about consent, still lacks nationwide. We still see consent as something that is nonchalantly … Continue reading The Case for Affirmative Consent Laws
Roosevelt @ Michigan State University 