state of opportunity
State of Opportunity from Michigan RadioEpisodes
Episodes of State of Opportunity from Michigan Radio
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Among the hundreds of stories produced by the State of Opportunity team was one about a Hillsdale family, Amanda and Mike Hood, and their two young daughters. Their story put a spotlight on the challenges low-income families face in finding aff
Too many Michigan babies are dying. For every 1,000 babies born in our state, roughly seven won't make it to their first birthday. That's a full point higher than the national infant mortality rate. When you break that down by race, the numbers
The State of Opportunity team began its work in 2012. Since then, they've produced hundreds of stories exploring the barriers to success that low-income kids and families in Michigan face. Now, that important project is wrapping up.
Don Norman settles into his chair, and pulls his blanket up to his chest. On the TV, Dick Van Dyke is about to solve a murder. The room is warm, shades drawn. It’s a good old house. A bit of plaster is coming off the ceiling in the corner, but
Week after week for five years, we’ve played the same clip at the start of every State of Opportunity story. You hear three kids telling us what they want to be when they grow up: a firefighter, a ballerina, and a Batman. We’ve heard from count
Charter schools are public schools, which means they’re supposed to educate any kid that walks in the door. But a new bill making its way through the Michigan legislature could make it so that charters can give enrollment preference to certain
President Donald Trump said he wanted to go after “bad hombres,” but his immigration policies affect more than just those who are here and have committed crimes. Undocumented immigrants with no criminal history are also being deported. That's t
Students in Muskegon Heights are very familiar with uncertainty. They’ve been threatened with school closure many times over the past several years—first because of finances, now because of failing test scores. Muskegon Heights Academy high sch
With award-winning restaurants and lofts going for half-a-million dollars , Detroit's midtown and downtown areas are hot right now. But the view is different out in the neighborhoods.
Thousands of young immigrants in Michigan today are living in a state of limbo. During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump vowed to end the Obama administration's deferred action program that allowed these young immigrants to go to school,
Eight places of worship in Michigan – in metro Detroit and near Kalamazoo – have officially joined a growing number of churches and synagogues across the country that have agreed to house and protect unauthorized immigrants who fear deportation
The state says 38 schools with persistently low test scores might not have to close by the end of the year. At least, not yet. These schools now have 60 days to come up with a turnaround plan using what the state calls a "partnership" model. We
Miguel and Angel are brothers and they pretty much disagree on everything: TV shows, music, games, even the way they dress. But that stuff’s all pretty minor compared to the big disagreement they have over where they should go if their mom is d
You may have heard that the state is planning to close as many as 38 schools by this summer, the bulk of which are in Detroit. That’s a big deal for a whole lot of families, and so far, the state isn’t giving them much guidance about what to do
Did you ever dream of seeing your name on a Broadway marquee as a kid? If so, you probably have some fond memories of memorizing lines and making costumes for school plays. But for kids with intellectual and developmental disabilities, finding
Michigan's own Betsy DeVos is now the most powerful education official in the nation. So what does that mean for Michigan? Let's start our story in Detroit, where DeVos played a big role in pushing for more school choice in the district.
Education in America remains deeply segregated. But at the same time, there are more students of color than ever before. In 2014, for the first time, minority students made up over 50% of public school enrollment . One district that’s seen thos
For the past several days, there have been many, many stories about President Trump’s actions on refugee policy, and his administration’s travel ban for people from 7 Muslim-majority nations. But last week, the President also signed one other e
The fates of neighborhoods and schools are intimately intertwined. That's especially true in high-poverty areas like Detroit. You can see those fates playing out in tandem across the city in part one and two of this documentary. So how do we ma
In part one of our State of Opportunity documentary, We Live Here, we spent time in Littlefield — a Detroit neighborhood right on the edge. It’s trying for a comeback, but so much depends upon whether the elementary school there stays open. Now
Our State of Opportunity team has been looking all year at the connection between neighborhoods and opportunity for children and families. We've been hearing a lot of concerns in the neighborhoods of Grand Rapids about how new development is ma
(Support trusted journalism like this in Michigan. Give what you can here .) Over the last 15 years, cities across the country have faced wave after wave of school closures. Places like Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia closed down do
There have been lots and lots of studies on whether additional funding for schools really leads to better outcomes for kids. And, for a long time, some of the conclusions of those studies were a bit mixed. But in the past year or so, a few new
Finding a home in Grand Rapids is becoming more difficult, especially for renters with low incomes. According to Zillow.com, the average cost of a rental unit in Grand Rapids rose almost 8 percent last year. That was the 11 th highest increase
I met Jamie Rykse a couple months ago, to talk about juvenile justice reform in Michigan . When she was 17, she was convicted of home invasion and sent to serve four years in adult prison. This week, I met up with her again to talk about what h
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