Lori Higgins

Lori Higgins

Bureau Chief, Chalkbeat Detroit

Lori Higgins is the Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Detroit. Previously, she covered K-12 education for nearly two decades as a reporter for the Detroit Free Press, was a reporter and editor at the Green Bay Press Gazette, and a reporter at the Manhattan Mercury. She is a native of Chicago and product of Chicago Public Schools.

The majority of states in the U.S. don’t require kindergarten attendance.

One of the high points in the graduation rate data released Friday: the Lansing School District, where the rate has increased dramatically since 2021.

The Detroit school board now must decide how it will spend the $94.4 million in literacy lawsuit settlement money.

State payments on retirement debt freed up $670 million that is helping fund many of Whitmer’s education initiatives.

A big question for school districts is whether closing schools will lead to bigger enrollment losses

The governor also said she plans to include free breakfasts and lunches in her budget proposal, extending what was offered this year.

Many Detroit school district students who come from low-income homes rely on school meals.

Elections, school funding, a new state department, and other issues that will define education this year.

The year’s big stories included victories for the Democratic education agenda, a groundbreaking school aid budget, and a fiscal reckoning in Detroit.

They talked about mental health, childhood trauma, good teaching, and the importance of self-love.