As students at Detroit Merit Charter Academy finished the Pledge of Allegiance, they broke into song. They stood at their desks, clapping, watching a live stream of another classroom doing the same. “I exemplify high moral character,” they sang. “I…
National Heritage Academies is not just the state’s largest charter school management company — it’s also the largest charter school landlord, and its schools pay NHA some jaw-dropping rents. That money, critics contend, would be better spent in the classroom.
Michigan’s charter schools offer the public scant information on how they spend taxpayer money. That stands in stark contrast to what the state demands and gets from traditional schools. The companies that run most charter schools say they are private…
Many states have tougher charter laws than Michigan and half a dozen states — from Washington to New York — prohibit full-service, for-profit companies from running their schools. The Mississippi Legislature passed a new charter law in 2013 that bars…
A year-long Free Press investigation of Michigan’s charter schools found wasteful spending, conflicts of interest, poor performing schools and a failure to close the worst of the worst. Among the findings: Charter schools spend $1billion per year in state taxpayer…
Founder: J.C. Huizenga When: 1995, as Educational Development Corp. Became National Heritage Academies about three years later. Huizenga remains chairman of the board. First school: Excel Charter Academy in Grand Rapids Size now: 47 schools in Michigan plus four high schools run by a…
Charter schools are independent public schools created in Michigan under legislation passed in 1993. The goals: Foster innovation in education, increase academic achievement , promote competition among schools, provide parents with options to traditional public schools.
The six largest full-service operators of charter schools in Michigan are all for-profit companies. They manage a third of the state's charter schools - 120 out of about 370.
Fifteen of National Heritage Academies' 47 schools pay rents to NHA of $20 a square foot or more and another 17 have rents between $15 and $20 a square foot. Commercial real estate experts say rents of $15 a square…
National Heritage Academices, the largest operator of charter schools in Michigan with 47 has seven top-ranked schools, 22 ranked in the middle, 11 at the bottom and seven are not yet ranked - meaning that at least 75 percent of…
California lawmakers on Thursday approved legislation that restricts football practices in an attempt to reduce concussions and brain injuries to student athletes.
Superintendent Lance Hindt said he’s optimistic about PBK and Pogue working together to fix the stadium. “PBK and Pogue could have easily walked away, and they haven’t,” Hindt said. However, though the investigation points to primarily design issues, that doesn’t…
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced Thursday that test scores will not play a part in teacher evaluations next year, a move meant to alleviate anxiety and account for unexpected complications as the city shifts to exams based on…
When first introduced at the start of the 2011-2012 school year, Kearney’s Project Lead the Way program included one course offered to students at Kearney High School and Kearney Junior High School. That year, 123 students enrolled in the Introduction…
Although Washington state’s top court is demanding that elected officials present a new plan to boost K-12 spending—and set an early September court date on the matter—legislators and Gov. Jay Inslee say there’s virtually no chance they’ll convene to craft…
At the last possible moment, Philadelphia City Council on Thursday came up with the money that a struggling School District had been pleading for. The process was ugly at times - school officials and Council battled for weeks over the…
