Education

Known for innovative teacher education programs, outstanding faculty, and influential research centers, MSU’s College of Education is home to graduate programs that have ranked No. 1 in the United States 14 years in a row.

MSU is a national leader in education reform, and faculty members are recognized for their expertise in assessing student achievement, conducting policy analyses, and improving standards.

Improving student writing may be more challening than thought

MSU News, Apr 17 2012

Far too many K-12 students have inadequate writing skills, and the current efforts to improve instruction in the United States may be more challenging than anticipated, research from Michigan State University shows.

According to an initial sample of seven states, the existing standards for teaching writing vary widely in comparison to a new set of common standards that are in the process of being implemented by most states.

Education critical to producing excellent math teachers

MSU News, Apr 16 2012

Countries that best prepare math teachers meet several key conditions generally lacking in the United States, according to the first international study of what teacher preparation programs are able to accomplish.

Charter schools spend more on administration

MSU News, Apr 13 2012

While charter school advocates criticize public school bureaucracies as bloated and wasteful, it turns out that charters spend more on administration and less on instruction than traditional public schools, according to a new study led by a Michigan State University scholar.

Students need new way of learning science

MSU News, Apr 5 2012

American students need a dramatically new approach to improve how they learn science, says a noted group of scientists and educators led by Michigan State University professor William Schmidt.

Citizenship may be determined at random

MSU News, Mar 12 2012

The fate of nearly half a million immigrants hoping for U.S. citizenship may have been determined randomly, at least in part, according to a new study by a Michigan State University researcher who found the high-stakes civics test isn’t a reliable measure of civics knowledge.

No kids in public school? You still benefit

MSU News, Feb 20 2012

Quality public schools benefit everyone – including those without school-aged children – and therefore everyone should play a role in maintaining them, according to a study by two Michigan State University scholars.

Senior citizens and others who don’t have children in school often argue they should be exempt from paying school taxes because they don’t benefit from the schools. But that’s not true, argues Zachary Neal, sociologist and lead researcher on the study, which appears in the Journal of Urban Affairs.

Are high-stakes tests worth it?

MSU News, Dec 16 2011

The nationally mandated English language proficiency test, given to students whose second language is English, is causing unintended psychological stress for students who can least afford it, according to a Michigan State University researcher.

MSU trains researchers in finer points of teaching

MSU News, Dec 12 2011

Prowess in the laboratory doesn’t always translate into the classroom. However, a program at Michigan State University is giving doctoral students – those who spend most of their time in the lab – the skills they need to be good teachers as well.

Since it was developed in 2006, more than 40 students have participated in the Future Academic Scholars in Teaching Fellowship Program, or FAST. A number of those students have gone on to accept faculty positions at institutions such as North Carolina State University, Central Michigan University and the University of Michigan.

Advancing high-tech entrepreneurship in Michigan

The Engaged Scholar Magazine, Nov 30 2011

Zsuzsanna Fluck, associate professor of finance and director of the Broad College's Center for Venture Capital, Private Equity & Entrepreneurial Finance (CVCPEEF), has been awarded $30,000 by the Michigan Initiative for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (MIIE) for a research project with Lisa D. Cook, assistant professor of economics and international relations, Department of Economics, and James Madison College.

Nation’s first statewide university-business engagement network to be created

MSU News, Nov 11 2011

A collaboration involving Michigan’s six leading research universities creates the first statewide university network in the country to provide a critical tool for business growth and attraction.

The Michigan Corporate Relations Network will create partnerships to connect industry to critical university assets that can contribute to their growth and productivity and, at the same time, enhance the teaching and research at Michigan’s universities, said Jeff Mason, executive director of the University Research Corridor.