Blogs

Standardized testing and the opt-out movement

July 19, 2015
Standardized testing and the opt-out movement

The Mitten Memo. A blog by Nick Krieger. When I was in school, we were required to take the Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) test every two or three years.  The testing usually lasted a few days.  No one liked it, but we all got through it.  In the last 20 years, however, the amount of standardized testing in Michigan…

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From 13 free and independent states.

July 5, 2015

The Mitten Memo. A blog by Nick Krieger.  Yesterday, the United States of America celebrated its 239th birthday.  Did you watch the parade and fireworks?  We all know that the Fourth of July is the day when we celebrate our nation’s independence from Great Britain, right? Well, sort of.  The events of July 4, 1776, were neither the beginning nor…

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The myth of Common Core.

June 21, 2015

The Mitten Memo. A blog by Nick Krieger.  It’s the first day of summer, and school policy is probably the furthest thing from your mind.  Instead, you’re probably thinking about barbeques and vacation plans.  Maybe you’re also wondering whether Lake Michigan will get warm enough to swim in this year. But a well-funded movement is gaining steam all across the…

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Muslim woman sues sheriff’s office, claiming she was forced to remove head scarf during jail booking

June 17, 2015
Muslim woman sues sheriff’s office, claiming she was forced to remove head scarf during jail booking

By Allison Scarbrough. OCP Editor. GRAND RAPIDS — A Muslim woman from Dearborn Heights is suing the Oceana County Sheriff’s Office for violating her civil rights after she claims she was forced to remove a religious head scarf as she was being booked in the county jail last month for a charge of driving while license suspended (DWLS). Fatme Dakroub,…

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Michigan’s redistricting web: Part 3.

June 14, 2015

The Mitten Memo. A blog by Nick Krieger. See part 1 here See part 2 here Michigan’s bipartisan apportionment commission had proven itself unable to effectively redistrict the Michigan Legislature.  The eight commissioners had regularly split along party lines.  Each time this happened, the matter had ended up before the Michigan Supreme Court for resolution.  Predictably, the apportionment commission deadlocked…

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