Education

The Detroit Public School system will shrink again next fall, as the district scrambles to revamp itself amidst declining enrollment.

This is just the latest in several waves of restructuring, as the district must constantly re-adjust to a student population that shrinks every year—and has fallen about 60% overall since 2000, from more than 167,000 students to about 69,000.

A push to allow students to get some kinds of four-year degrees at Michigan community colleges is facing a roadblock at the state capitol.

Community colleges want to offer bachelor’s degrees in nursing and a handful of other fields. Michigan universities oppose letting community colleges offer four-year degrees.

But state senators are concerned the state constitution may not allow community colleges to offer four-year degrees. So for now, the bill is on hold. 

Mike Hansen is the president of the Michigan Community College Association. He says the writers of the state constitution were a little vague on what could be taught at the community college level.

“I wonder why they didn’t just say…shall not offer baccalaureate degrees…in the constitution," says Hansen,  "I think the reason they didn’t do that was so the legislature can make that decision.”  

Hansen is optimistic the state senate will brush aside the constitution question and approve the bill. 

Police officials are picking up kids who are not in school around the Detroit area today.

The Detroit Free Press reports Detroit Police are teaming up with local school officials and federal officials to make the sweeps

The program was initiated with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives by Detroit Police Officer Monica Evans, who was a teacher for 12 years. Detroit Public Schools officials are also participating. The effort stems from a U.S. Justice Department report that found many of the nation's prisoners listed truancy as their first offense. The task force has also organized patrols before and after classes at a number of Detroit schools to help students arrive and depart safely.

The Free Press reports the effort is part of "an ongoing collaborative effort by federal, state and local law enforcement to reduce crime by and against children."

They write the effort first started last year and "netted 63 truant students" during a sweep in April, 2011.

Another novel taught in the Plymouth-Canton school district is up for discussion this week.

    The Michigan Supreme Court today rejected requests by the state attorney general and a g roup supported by a conservative think tank to intervene in effort to unionize graduate student research assistants at the University of Michigan.    

Michigan’s Attorney General Bill Schuette filed a request with the state Supreme Court to stop a hearing about whether certain graduate students at the University of Michigan can unionize.

Attorney General spokesman John Selleck says they "respect the decision of the Supreme Court."

"I'm happy that the Supreme Court denied the Attorney General's motion to intervene in our hearing," says Irene Yeh, a graduate student research assistant (GSRA) at the University of Michigan. "I'm glad it looks like GSRAs will have the right to decide whether we want to unionize."