How Americans earn their income

To me the most interesting part of our new annual report is the deconstruction of personal income. Looking at the components that make up per capita income. In previous reports we have focused almost exclusively on jobs and income that comes from employment—both public and private. The data is clear: we are in an era of […]

Talking with Lucy Ann Lance

Had an opportunity to talk everything Michigan Future with Lucy Ann Lance on her WLBY Business Insider radio show. We discussed mainly our new report on the Michigan economy, but also discussed our Detroit high school initiative. You can find a summary of the interview and a link to the entire interview here. It always […]

Our Governors on higher education

MIRS reports that former Governor Granhom “at her first book signing since A Governor’s Story was released, was asked what she would have done if the budget had run a surplus for just one of her eight years in office. Granholm said she would have “at least saved the cuts from higher education” because they were […]

Wanted: A higher education system for a global economy

Our view of the purpose of higher education is taking a dangerous step in the wrong direction. As reflected in a recent Bridge article increasingly policy makers and opinion leaders are making the case that Michigan’s public universities should primarily be in the business of preparing students for a professional job in the student’s major […]

Scientific American on cities

Scientific American’s September issue is titled Cities: Better, Greener and Smarter. They conclude ” We have seen a brighter future, and it is urban.” The whole issue is terrific, worth picking up at the newsstand or you can check it out at. For this post I want to highlight three of their articles. The first […]

Unlimited charters: not smart II

Three recent articles further highlight the risks in simply opening up the right to anyone to operate a k-12 school. The first comes from Ed Week reporting on a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research. The study found that Massachusetts charter schools in central cities significantly improved student’s math and language arts achievement […]

Relearning the GI Bill lessons

What is so distressing about a recent Center for Michigan’s Bridge feature article is that it positions higher education as a combination of vocational training and supplier to Michigan employers. Where the chief  purpose of Michigan’s public universities should be to prepare students for a professional job in the student’s major with a Michigan employer […]

Density drives economic growth

In our 2006 A New Agenda for a New Michigan we wrote: For many Michiganians, vibrant central cities are part of the past. No longer relevant or just something you visit in unique places like Manhattan, Toronto or Chicago. Think again! They are an important ingredient to future economic success. The pattern across the country is […]

Unlimited charters: not smart

From their inception in the Nineties Michigan Future, Inc. has been an enthusiastic supporter of charter schools and public school choice. Still are. We have been involved in helping create charter schools for more than a decade. But our support is tempered by the reality of student performance in charter schools. It is mixed at […]

Our 2012 High Schools

Our Michigan Future Schools initiative proudly announces grants of $2.4 million to open three innovative new high schools that will challenge and support Detroit students as they prepare for college and careers. The schools will open to incoming freshmen in Fall 2012 and add a grade per year. Pretty exciting! The new schools are: • […]