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K-12
Locals Outraged Reprimand of EMU Prez Was Made Public, While Commentators in Academe Say: “Fire Her Now!”
by P.D. Lesko
Dr. Susan Martin, Provost and Senior Chancellor at the University of Tennessee, is probably wishing right about now her parents had chosen a different name. The other Dr. Susan Martin, the President of EMU, is presently…
AAPS Documents Reveal Middle and High School Classes Have 40+ Students
by P.D. Lesko
Between 2003 and 2010, while total enrollment in Ann Arbor’s middle and high schools fell, average class sizes increased significantly, and so have actual class sizes, resulting in classrooms stuffed with 10, 12 and sometimes…
A New Copyright Lawsuit May Result in the Prosecution of Educators & Students Who Share Digital Materials
by Ernesto Van Dersar
John Wiley & Sons, one of the world’s largest textbook publishers, is continuing its efforts to crack down on BitTorrent piracy. The company has now named several people who allegedly shared Wiley titles online,…
Michigan K-12 Education—$40 Billion Gets Us The New Jim Crow
By P.D. Lesko
Last year at this time my two sons, ages 10 and 13, were advanced in reading, mathematics and science, according to their work on the MEAP tests. This year, one son is advanced in social studies and that both are Level 2…
In Wayne County $729,675,152.78 in Federal Stimulus Money Went to K-12 Education
As A2Politico revealed in a February 23, 2012 post: The amount of stimulus funding send from Washington, D.C. to Washtenaw County between 2009 and 2011 is a staggering $767,218,458 million dollars, the 4th largest amount given out within…
New Study: Michigan’s High-Income, White Students “Sinking in Academic Achievement”
by P.D. Lesko
In Ann Arbor, it's the achievement gap that gets the starring role in the ongoing drama enacted on a regular basis by both members of the Board of Education, as well as the District's paid professionals. This is a drama that…
300 Michigan Science Faculty, Collectively Paid $45M/Year, Sign Letter Protesting Union For Their Grad Assistants
by P.D. Lesko
The bumper sticker is a classic one: If you're against abortion, don't have one. Limiting the rights of others is often mistaken for standing on principle. The University of Michigan graduate student research assistants…
Ann Arbor School Board Members Take Big Money From Unions To Campaign But Vote Against Contracting With Unionized Company For HVAC
By Chris Savage
On December 14, the Ann Arbor Board of Education members approved a new HVAC Journeyman contract with Flint-based D.M. Burr, Inc. D.M. Burr's bid was $66,727 less than the bid of Johnson Controls, the next lowest bidder…
Ann Arbor School Officials First Deny Having Actual Enrollment Numbers—After Multiple FOIAs & 72 Days Officials Relinquish Numbers
by P.D. Lesko
On December 13, 2011, A2Politico posted a piece titled, "30? 40? 50? Ann Arbor Officials Have No Idea Exactly How Many Kids Are In District Classrooms." For several days, it was among the top 5 most clicked headlines in the…
30? 40? 50? — Ann Arbor School Officials Have No Idea Exactly How Many Kids Are In District Classrooms
by P.D. Lesko
Class size: one time when size does matter. Research on the success of K-12 students has concluded definitively that class sizes impact the performance of all students. Kids learn better in small classes. According to…