Michigan State Policy Reporter

Chalkbeat, the growing nonprofit news organization telling the story of education in America, is seeking a reporter to cover Michigan education policy as part of our Detroit team.

This position, which will require regular travel to the capitol, has been created in partnership with Bridge Michigan, a nonprofit policy publication that covers civic issues across the state. The position will report to Chalkbeat’s Detroit Bureau Chief and will work out of Chalkbeat’s office in midtown Detroit and Bridge’s office in Lansing, with regular reporting trips around the state. Stories will appear in both Chalkbeat and Bridge, as well as other media outlets that follow Chalkbeat’s republishing guidelines.

Michigan’s public schools are at a crossroads. Years of education reform attempts, enrollment declines, political strife, and most recently the fallout from the pandemic have been damaging. Academic achievement has suffered, a mental health crisis among students is surging, and thousands of students who fell off school rolls during the pandemic have yet to return. Fewer people want to go into teaching and some districts are struggling to fill jobs. Meanwhile, school funding experts have warned that Michigan’s current approach to funding schools is insufficient and inequitable. Schools also are facing increased scrutiny, particularly from parents who want a stronger say in what their children are learning, and “culture war” debates are often dominating the discussion about education in Michigan. With Democrats in control of the governor’s office and the Legislature in 2023 for the first time in decades, we can expect education issues to rise to the forefront of policy debates in Michigan.