Managing Decline vs. Investing for Growth
SEMCOG – the council of governments in metro Detroit – has just released its 2035 transportation plan. Paul Tait, its excellent Executive Director, notes that one of the common concerns he runs into is folks – including policy makers – who wonder why we are working on long range plans, when we have an immediate […]
Lessons Learned by the Freep
A terrific recent editorial in the Detroit Free Press. Its their summary of what they learned matters most from their series on the collapse of the domestic auto industry. The editorial’s subtitle says it all. Rx for recovery: A new commitment to education. The world has changed. As we say repeatedly, what made us prosperous […]
Families
The current issue of Dome magazine has an article from the folks at Gongwer about the just enacted education reform legislation. It ends with comments about how the real problem with student achievement is families. Kids coming to school not ready to learn. Its an important part of the case that many make that “those” […]
2010 Predictions
The folks at MiBiz.com asked me to one of their guest columnists on what to expect in 2010. You can read my column here. As you will read, I don’t see any big changes in the year ahead. Yes the national economy will improve. And so will Michigan, but we will continue to lag the […]
Lou’s 2009 Presentation
The powerpoint presentation Lou Glazer uses in his speeches around the state on the future of the economy and what Michigan needs to do to prosper in it. Michigan Future Inc. Presentation 2009 View more presentations from michiganfuture. [slideshare id=2773667&doc=09-standard-presentation-091224090658-phpapp01]
A Constantly Changing Economy
The main business Michigan Future is in is trying to understand the flat world and then be a catalyst to better position Michigan and its citizens to prosper in that economy. Our core belief is that the people and communities that will do best economically are those that align with – rather than resist – […]
Toyota
Interesting article by Nathan Bomey in annarbor.com. Its about Toyota apparently considering moving some of their knowledge jobs from California, with Ann Arbor being one of the leading options. Bomey cites our work in speculating that lower labor costs here might be one of the reasons. Turns out the story that Michigan is a high […]
Good Stuff from the GR Press
Two excellent opinion pieces this week from the Grand Rapids Press. One on college attainment being the key to economic growth, the other on low taxes not being the answer. Both worth reading. The editorial on college attainment has some encouraging news. Four-year degree attainment is up twenty one percent at Michigan’s public universities since […]
Innovation is the Key
A recent David Brooks column in the New York Times lays out an innovation agenda. Its worth reading. Its based on a report from President Obama’s National Economic Council. At the core the strategy is based on a belief that its innovation that will be the driver of future economic prosperity in America. Brooks argues […]
What to do with Failing Schools
Good article in the current issue of Education Next. Its called the Turnaround Fallacy. The author, Andy Smarick, argues that there really is no good evidence across the country that we know how to turn around schools that chronically produced low student achievement. Are there schools that have been turned around: moved from low to […]