News

09/22/2025
Michigan's chronic absenteeism rate drops by is still above pre-pandemic levels

Nearly 28% of Michigan students were chronically absent during the 2024-25 school year, the third consecutive year the rate has dropped.

But the rate is still significantly higher than it was before the pandemic began, when 19.7% of students were chronically absent during the 2018-19 school year, according to data released Wednesday by the state Center for Educational Performance and Information.

08/18/2025
Chronic Absenteeism Still a Struggle in 2024–2025

Persistent high levels of absenteeism are slowing students’ academic recovery after the disruptions to schooling brought on by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic (Dewey et al., 2025). Even several years after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, heightened levels of chronic absenteeism continue to be one of district leaders’ top concerns.

Read Full Article: Absenteeism 

01/29/2025
Wolves system brings elementary students, others together

Artistic crests representing wolf dens are everywhere at West Elementary: in school windows, hallways, in the cafeteria, and on T-shirts, banners and artwork.

They symbolize the school’s new den system, with the names Lobos, Mahigan, Tikkani and Obahoshe — all indigenous words for “wolves” — into which the school’s 500 students in grades kindergarten through fourth grade are divided. 

Read Full Article: Four dens, one pack 

11/15/2024
High-schoolers talk mental health with education leaders, legislators

Marlee-Ami Sierz said she knows how difficult it can be to struggle with mental health issues.

The Grand Rapids University Preparatory Academy junior sat on a student panel Tuesday in Lansing titled “Addressing Mental Health Through Authentic Student Voice.” She told educators and legislators what schools can do to reach students like her who may need a kind word, support or just to feel seen.

Read Full Article: Student Voice 

04/15/2024
Diving into social-emotional learning

I hated to go underwater when I was a kid. I wasn’t the most proficient swimmer, but I could make my way across a pool without panicking. But venturing under the surface? Just the thought of it made my legs conveniently cramp up, ensuring me a seat on the side of the pool. 

Read Full Article: Student Voice

03/25/2024
A decade in, teaching is still all about relationships

As students stream into her classroom at Grandville Middle School and find their seats, Courtney Gritter switches off the overhead lights and switches on a colorful disco ball in the corner of the room.  

Read Full Article: Student Voice

 

10/24/2022
'I just feel like a number': Students want more empathy from educators in pandemic aftermath
MLive
Kent ISD holds State of the Student panel at GVSU
Kent ISD holds State of the Student panel at GVSU

As a high school student, sometimes Terrell Daniels Jr. feels like the only things adults care about are his test scores.

With students feeling so much pressure to score high on their tests and “catch up” after two pandemic years, the Union High School junior said those pressures can put a damper on his excitement to learn.

Read Full Article: I just feel like a number

12/01/2019
YouthTruth - Learning from Student Voice: Emotional & Mental Health
YouthTruth
Learning from Student Voice: Emotional & Mental Health

Emotional and mental health is essential for student achievement, but many students are struggling. Research shows that when students receive social-emotional and mental health support, they perform better academically. Students do not always receive the support they need to thrive, however. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, mental health issues are increasing among schoolaged children, and rates of suicide for youth ages 10 to 19 are on the rise. 

Read Full Article: Engagement Belonging