The Ann Arbor Independent Editorial Team 2257 posts 224 comments

by Jeff Bryant TWO VIDEOS CAPTURED just about everything you need to know about the status of the movement known as “education reform.” The first filmed event was a staged encounter between two prominent advocates for what is…

by Boz

by Jack Eaton I REALLY APPRECIATE hearing from many of you about various issues related to homelessness, emergency shelter and affordable housing. I do see a problem in this discussion where some issues are conflated and some opinions…

by Jill Richardson THE INVENTION OF the refrigerator was bad news for the bluefin tuna. So was the invention of the airplane, as well as the creation of modern industrial fishing methods. All in all, technology has not been good for this…

In May 2012 former Superintendent Dr. Patricia Green told parents to use the Freedom of Information Act to access public records and information. The new Superintendent urges transparency and minimal reliance FOIA for routine requests. …

by Owen Davis FOR PEOPLE LOOKING to “disrupt” public education, it’s become requisite to bemoan the “educational status quo” — a phrase meant to evoke images of poor kids striving against the impediments of failing schools and…

by Teresa Wiltz WHEN I WAS a little girl living in Staten Island, whenever my dad needed a new suit, we’d ferry it into Manhattan and head on over to Barneys. There, I’d spend many a happy hour playing in the racks while my dad tried on…

GROUNDWATER BENEATH  A swath of the city of Ann Arbor is currently contaminated by the suspected carcinogen 1,4 dioxane. The City of Ann Arbor website has a FAQ page dedicated to answering questions about the contamination. Likewise, the…

by P.D. Lesko THE LAST TIME Julie Grand ran for City Council, she told a room full of voters at a Democratic candidate forum: “And I don’t know that we can get every road paved in the neighborhood. I don’t know that we can fix all of the…

At one U of M campus 63 percent of students seeking teaching certification passed the examinations. At another U of M campus, only 8 percent of students tested passed.  by Ron French Bridge Magazine—Teacher prep programs at Michigan…