Essential education reporting across America

Mike Wilkinson

Author
A student is writing on a whiteboard in the front of a classroom, as her classmates look on.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Assessment and testing
Michigan students gain on M-STEP, but results still lag pre-pandemic levels
A particular area of concern is students who were in kindergarten in 2020 when the pandemic hit. Their third-grade reading results were well below pre-pandemic levels.
By Isabel Lohman, Hannah Dellinger, and 1 more
 
Students write with pencils.
From Chalkbeat Detroit NAEP 2022
Michigan students’ academic performance hurt by pandemic
NAEP scores show Michigan’s longstanding gap between low-income students and affluent peers widened considerably
By Isabel Lohman and Mike Wilkinson
 
A Denver student studies for the SAT in 2017.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Michigan education policy
Declines in M-STEP test scores point to looming challenge after a year of pandemic learning in Michigan
Michigan’s M-STEP test scores are difficult to interpret because so many students — including some of the most vulnerable in the state — didn’t take the exam.
By Ron French, Tracie Mauriello, and 2 more
 
Students learn the basics of reading at Roosevelt Elementary School in Livonia. Michigan's fourth-grade reading scores improved in 2019 compared to other states'.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Assessment and testing
As other states backslide, Michigan schools are now average
Michigan public school students show marked improvement compared to their peers in other states, according to national test results released Wednesday.
By Ron French and Mike Wilkinson
 
Jamarria Hall had to take remedial classes in college despite finishing near the top of his class at Osborn High School in Detroit. He was one of the plaintiffs in the landmark literacy case. (Bridge photo by Mike Wilkinson)
From Chalkbeat Detroit Detroit challenges
Detroiters woke up before 3 a.m. to insist on a constitutional right to literacy. Will judges agree?
One judge asked the question that worries Michigan leaders: “How much would it cost to fix the Detroit schools?”
By Mike Wilkinson
 
Michigan’s M-STEP results are inching upwards.
From Chalkbeat Detroit Assessment and testing
Michigan M-STEP test scores are inching upward. See how your school compares.
After several years of flat or declining results, scores on Michigan’s M-STEP exam show faint signs of improvement.
By Mike Wilkinson and Ron French