Michigan Education Digest
Employee school choice, free speech case, Kentwood strike news
… more
The Unkindest Cut?
A recent series of newspaper articles on federal tax cuts omitted some larger truths. … more
Special Ed Surplus
Has Michigan's funding system caused too many kids to be termed "disabled"? … more
Fewer Students = More Money?
This equation doesn't work. Public schools should cut costs. … more
Storm Drain
Ivan, Charley, Frances and Jeanne really belong to the Jets and the Sharks. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Kentwood district deadlock, Milwaukee voucher study, suspended Internet grants. … more
Freeing to Choose
School-choice advocates gather at the Cato Institute to discuss the education marketplace of the future. … more
An Anchor to Windward
John Riecker, an honored friend of the Mackinac Center, discusses its special intellectual role. … more
Honoring John and Ranny Riecker
The Mackinac Center dedicates its board room to two exemplars of de Tocqueville's America. … more
From Threat to Friend
As bad as it is, the state's Toyota deal has a silver lining. … more
Michigan Education Digest
School choice budget gains, 'count day' prizes, fighting truancy. … more
Revolting Development
State development agencies spent, and Michigan's economy suffered. … more
School Boards: Helping Themselves?
School boards might send a better message to the public if they avoided the Michigan Association of School Boards. … more
Found in Translation
Joseph Lehman explains to Asian free-marketers how to "translate ideas into success." … more
Michigan Education Digest
Bay City MEAP, Michigan college affordability, U.P. home-schooling. … more
Going Dutch
Free-market education policies are time-tested and successful. … more
Teach the Teachers, Test the Students
Book reviews of "There Are No Shortcuts," by Rafe Esquith, and "The $100,000 Teacher," by Brian Crosby … more
Balancing the Budget Without Taxes
Legislative Analyst Jack McHugh offers specific state budget recommendations and responds to the state House and Senate fiscal agencies. … more
The Charter Mirage
Public debate rages over an idea that has never been tried. … more
A Debate Over Outsourcing
A Mackinac Center scholar and the president of the Michigan AFL-CIO go toe-to-toe. … more
Mongol Khan-Quest
A Mackinac Center friend becomes prime minister of Mongolia. … more
Does Teacher Certification Matter?
The state Board of Education chafes on the wrong issue. … more
County Tax Shift: It Quacks, It Waddles; It’s a Duck
The county tax shift in the proposed state budget is a tax increase. … more
Certifiable Numbers?
The state education department has produced dubious certification numbers, hurting charter schools in the process.
… more
Michigan Education Digest
State SAT scores, D.C. school vouchers, MET, and more
… more
Labor Gains
American workers have achieved a gold-medal year.
… more
MEGA May Be Unconstitutional
A federal court has declared an Ohio tax incentive program unconstitutional, casting doubt on a Michigan program as well. … more
Shortchanging Michigan
The Legislature should kill the Toyota land deal and embrace equal treatment instead. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Schools' self-grading, single-sex classes, budget-trimming, and more … more
Teachers, Not Timeservers
A Saginaw public school teacher argues for merit pay. … more
Pivotal? Probably Not.
If passion and rhetoric made presidential elections “pivotal,” the 2004 battle would qualify. … more
Putting a Premium on Education?
Health care benefits for public school personnel are more expensive because of the MEA's powerful insurance arm. … more
Power to the People?
The Board of State Canvassers' most recent action is only the latest infringement of a fundamental political right of Michigan's citizens. … more
A State Gas Tax That Should Run Out of Fuel
To avoid spending discipline, Lansing may extend a state gas tax that has already been poorly administered. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Catholic school union vote halted; Michigan universities ranked; analysis says charters not performing … more
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards: Value Added?
A widely touted national certification program does not appear to produce better teachers. … more
Michigan's Budget Deficit Calls for Structural Reforms
Lansing should cut spending by returning to its core mission. … more
Carpenter Helps Build Jobs With Snow
A Mackinac Center friend asks the right questions of the secretary of the treasury. … more
Will a Detroit-area Catholic School Be Unionized?
A Michigan commission rules that the school’s religious status does not shield it from organizing efforts. … more
Michigan Education Digest
Florida court strikes down school choice program; Bay City schools may require students to pass MEAP to graduate; Flint area outsourcing receives praise, criticism
… more
The Mackinac Center Announces Venues for Its 2004 High School Debate Workshops
Michigan high school debaters will receive unique resources and training on this year's national debate resolution, which involves the United Nations.
… more
The Blackout of 2003 Doesn't Justify Regulation in 2004
Free-market reforms didn't cause the blackout a year ago. We shouldn't return to the Dark Ages of electrical regulation. … more
Free Markets Blossom in Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh may have won the battle for power, but he is losing the war for the future to free-market capitalism … more
Michigan Education Digest
Detroit schools on ballot; More state schools show improvement; U.S. home schooling on rise … more
Democracy Isn't Nirvana
Although "democracy" will be the focus of news this presidential season, it's economic freedom that really matters. … more
Symbolic Victories?
The Legislature is considering no fewer than 11 new bills to create state symbols.
… more
Wetlands You Can't Bank On
The state's Department of Environmental Quality is hurting both the environment and the economy by its foot-dragging on wetland banks.
… more
Michigan Education Digest
Female sports schedule discriminatory; Parents pay for after-school activities; British homeschooling; Race-based school assignments struck down … more
"Milking the Cow" of State Development Departments
Businesses can turn government development agencies into "cash cows" and hurt economic growth. … more
The Lesson From a Charter School’s Closing
The experiences of Walter French Academy and the Detroit Public Schools show that parental empowerment is a better path to good schools than increased state regulation. … more


