Education

Parents and students are preparing for the start of the school year. For most families it begins by purchasing new school supplies and backpacks. For low-income families it can be a financial burden.

In Newaygo County, Fremont-based nonprofit TrueNorth Community Services and its partners Fremont Area Community Foundation and Gerber Foundation confront rural poverty head-on.

As summer heats up, parents are looking for simple ideas to keep children entertained and engaged indoors and out. School News Network turned to an area technology and media expert for some educational options.

After 33 years in front of a Kenowa Hills Central Elementary classroom, a retiring teacher shares her thoughts on how to bring more people into the profession and improve schooling for the students they serve.

For Kris Weller, it wasn’t about the big events or recognitions. It was the small moments…making meaningful connections and building relationships with students…that made her a more effective teacher.

She offered these thoughts from her decades of experience:

The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded two West Michigan organizations with grants supporting educational programming. Nearly 1,600 organizations submitted Art Works applications to the National Endowment for the Arts. Of the 977 grants awarded, only two West Michigan-based institutions received a portion of the $80 million Arts Endowment.

Grand Rapids Board of Education has hired an interim superintendent as its search for a fulltime district leader continues.

Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal’s last day on the job is July 1st. The search to replace her has been extended after the Grand Rapids Board of Education decided neither of the two finalists for the job, were a good fit for the district. As the nationwide search continues, the board moved forward Monday with a special work session appointing an interim superintendent.

Global warming is a burning issue for many young people, including local students who recently heard from – and performed for – climate-change activist and former EPA official Mustafa Santiago Ali.

Kalil Adams loves hip-hop, but he never really connected it to global warming until he met Mustafa Santiago Ali.