Education

Over 700 hundred students packed the auditorium of Reeths-Puffer High School in Muskegon Wednesday morning for an up close look at the Michigan Supreme Court in action.

The event is all part of the Court’s “Community Connections Program” that takes Supreme Court Justices out of Lansing and into various cities and townships across the state where students get to see firsthand how the legal process works at the state’s highest level.

Kent County voters passed a 55-million dollar bond last year, enabling school districts to create stronger schools and stronger communities. One district is using those dollars to strengthen security.

Students in Kenowa Hills Public Schools are getting used to entering their buildings in a brand new way. Buzzer systems with updated features allow better communication between the person wanting in and the office staff who can open the doors.

Building a bridge between high school and higher education is one of the goals of an innovative approach to education in Grand Rapids. School News Network recently attended a tenth anniversary celebration for a partnership that’s putting students on a path to success.

When Chyna Figures was a sixth-grader at Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy, she and her friend Maya Thompson agreed they wanted to start their own law firm someday. Now both in college, they’re still on track for that plan.

Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall Neal announced Monday morning that she will be retiring at the end of the 2018-2019 school year. At a press conference held at The Gerald R. Ford Academic Center Monday morning, Weatherall Neal said it’s the very same building that she stepped into as a kindergartener back in 1963, bringing her story full circle.

“Grand Rapids Public Schools has been part of my life for 55 years,” Weatherall Neal said. “It truly is a remarkable story, one that I could never have imagined.”

This year, 65 sophomores started Middle College in Wyoming, up from 50 last year. About 150 students have graduated the program since it began. Lauren Kramer is planning to add her name to that list without spending a dime on a college degree. 

Outside her “Principles of Economics” class, Lauren Kramer adds up ways she’s benefiting from being a student at Wyoming High School AND Grand Rapids Community College.

U.S. News & World Report has released its Best Colleges Rankings and Grand Valley State University is receiving high marks once again.

Grand Valley  is experiencing a déjà vu with U.S. News and World Reports 2019 Best Colleges Rankings. Grand Valley is listed 3rd for "Top Public Regional Universities in the Midwest." In 2018 it held that position. Coming in at number one is Truman State University and number two is University of Northern Iowa.

Grand Rapids Public Schools Superintendent Teresa Weatherall-Neal and Grand Rapids Mayor Rosalynn Bliss were joined by a number of city officials Wednesday afternoon to cut the ribbon on the school district’s new Public Museum High School.

Located within the Grand Rapids Public Museum, the new high school aims to offer a different type of learning experience, as students will engage with city archives and museum resources for research and projects.

Dr. Chris Hanks is the Principal at Grand Rapids Public Museum School.

A one-of-a-kind offer is being made to every teacher in the state providing free professional development workshops.

Grand Valley State University and its Charter Schools Office are offering the program. The university operates 78 charter schools across the state. It offers those teachers professional development workshops.

“Our professional development workshops are opportunities for teachers to come together and really study the practice of teaching.”