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The focus of this category is on education in Michigan and the Michigan educational system, at all levels, from daycare to preschool, pre-kindergarten through the twelfth grade, vocational schools, technical schools, and higher education, including training courses of all types.

Religious schools, private schools, and public schools are all appropriate. However, schools that serve a local area should be submitted to the geographic category representing that city or village. State universities may be listed here, as well as in the category representing the locality in which they are geographically located.

Michigan's government-funded system of education has its roots the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which divided the Michigan Territory into townships of six square-miles each, then subdivided each township into thirty-six sections of 640 acres or greater, which were sold at public auction with a starting bid of $1.00 per acre. The funds raised from the sale of Section 16 in each township was reserved for the funding of schools.

As early as 1816, private and religious schools were operating in Detroit. When Michigan became a state in 1835, a system of state-operated schools was established. Isaac E. Crary, who came to Michigan from Connecticut in 1835, becoming the first elected US Representative from the state of Michigan in 1835, was instrumental in organizing the new state's educational system. Under his direction, Michigan became the first state to reject local control in favor of state control over educational affairs.

John Davis Pierce, who moved to Michigan from New Hampshire as a missionary in 1831, became the state's first superintendent of public schools, the first position of the kind in the United States. Under his direction, state control over the school system was further cemented, promoting state certification of teachers, a minimum wage, and compulsory attendance laws.

Pierce also advocated for placing the responsibility of education in the hands of the state rather than parents. He believed that children belonged to the state and that it was the duty of the state to see to their education.

In 1929, the state ended its support for religious schools. By 1970, this was extended even to indirect aid for private schools. Even today, Michigan's anti-school choice laws are among the most restrictive in the country.

Nevertheless, in recent decades, private schools in Michigan are attracting more students, and support for greater parental choice is growing.

As of this writing, there are 4,126 public schools in Michigan, including 2,158 elementary schools, 659 middle schools, and 687 high schools. There are 972 private schools serving a PK-12th grade population, including preschools, Montessori schools, boarding schools, military schools, and other private K-12 schools.

According to the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education, there are 93 colleges and universities in Michigan. These include 8 research universities, 19 master's colleges and universities, and 17 baccalaureate colleges, as well as 31 two-year associate's colleges. There are also 18 educational institutions classified as special-focus institutions, including 11 baccalaureate/associate's colleges and 2 tribal colleges.

The University of Michigan operates three public universities, with the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor as its flagship campus. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest post-secondary institution in the state.

The state's largest public institution is Michigan State University in East Lansing, in terms of average enrollment, while Baker College in Flint is the largest private post-secondary institution, and Yeshiva Gedolah of Greater Detroit is the smallest private post-secondary institution in Michigan.

Michigan has seven medical schools and five law schools.

Most of Michigan's post-secondary institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, while the majority are accredited by multiple agencies, including the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, the National League for Nursing, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the National Association of Schools of Music, the American Bar Association, the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the American Physical Therapy Association, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, the American Psychological Association, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, the Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada, the Association for Biblical Higher Education, and others.

The focus of this category is on education in Michigan. Schools, colleges, and universities with a statewide focus are appropriate for this category, as are websites whose topic focuses on Michigan education in general.

 

 

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