State of Opportunity

Series produced by Michigan Radio

Caption: State of Opportunity from Michigan Radio
State of Opportunity from Michigan Radio 

What can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for the most disadvantaged children?

Michigan Radio’s State of Opportunity project is looking at what can be done to break the cycle of poverty and improve opportunities for the most disadvantaged children. We’re examining the impact that healthcare, schools, family, the local community, and public policy have on child development…from cradle to college.


105 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
A vision for how to make school choice work better in Detroit
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Dan Varner, Credit: Dan Varner
We have the story of one person’s journey. It’s not a journey across land, or across oceans. It is a journey to try to figure out what it will take...

  • Added: Feb 06, 2015
  • Length: 03:23
Offering a place to call home when home isn't an option
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: The Kids First building, an emergency foster shelter at D.A. Blodgett - St. John's in Grand Rapids., Credit: DUSTIN DWYER / MICHIGAN RADIO
Some children are taken from their homes on short notice. Some are taken in the middle of the night. For kids entering Michigan’s foster care syste...

  • Added: Feb 06, 2015
  • Length: 03:27
11 years before Ferguson, there was outrage in Benton Harbor. Have things changed?
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: "Tired of living like this," says Krishna Harding, a 26-year old resident of Benton Harbor. "Section 8, government-based houses, Medicaid and stuff like that. I’m tired of it.", Credit: DUSTIN DWYER / MICHIGAN RADIO
It’s not a new story: A young black man dies after an encounter with police. A community takes to the streets to demand answers. Their protest turn...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 06, 2015
  • Length: 03:42
  • Purchases: 1
Home for the holidays, in a dorm room
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
In early December, most college students are packing their bags and heading home for the holiday break. Except for those who've experienced foster ...

Bought by PRX Remix


  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:40
  • Purchases: 1
Special education still a high-stakes gamble in Michigan. What can parents do?
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Kayle Roose and her son Aiden. She says Aiden's experience in school is improving., Credit: SARAH ALVAREZ
For a long time, kids with disabilities were mistreated in school or pushed out. Now, there are laws to make sure they have an equal shot at an edu...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio and PRX Remix


  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:47
  • Purchases: 2
For some mixed race families, parenting is a black and white issue
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: A baby picture of Josette Hejka (middle) and her two adopted brothers, Mike (left) and Terrell., Credit: PHOTO COURTESY OF EDDIE HEJKA
There are a few talks nearly all parents have with their kids. There’s the birds and the bees talk. There’s the ‘don’t do drugs talk.’ Some parents...

Bought by KBCS 91.3 FM Community Radio, Delta College Public Radio, and KUOW


  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:40
  • Purchases: 3
Coming out as poor at an elite university
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Danielle Boshers (left), Anna Garcia, and Chris Reynolds say the University of Michigan could do a better job welcoming first generation students to campus., Credit: JENNIFER GUERRA / MICHIGAN RADIO
Lots of high school seniors are nailing down what they want to do after they graduate. For students who choose to go to college, there can be lots ...

Bought by WDBM and Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:40
  • Purchases: 2
This is what happens when students let their imaginations run wild
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Volunteer Pat Gold (left) and Tiara Brooks work on a story at an 826 Michigan writing workshop at Adams STEM Academy in Ypsilanti., Credit: JENNIFER GUERRA / MICHIGAN RADIO
What if third grade students could carve out time during the school day to let their imaginations run wild? State of Opportunity’s Jennifer Guerra ...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:40
Michigan led the nation in cutting college scholarships from 2003 - 2013
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
Here is a fact you might not know: In the decade between 2003 to 2013 no other state cut its spending on college scholarships as much as Michigan. ...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:31
  • Purchases: 1
Ask Judge Garcia how to change juvenile justice practice in Michigan. He's done it.
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Ingham County Circuit Judge Richard Garcia, Credit: INGHAM COUNTY
Back in 2002, Michigan's Ingham County voters passed a millage to increase funding for juvenile justice. Judge Richard Garcia spearheaded that effo...

  • Added: Feb 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:46
Connection makes a huge difference for Michigan's most at-risk youth
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: A selfie Alex and Paula took at the DHS office where they are both working to improve outcomes for young people involved in both the child welfare and juvenile justice systems., Credit: PAULA LAQUERRE
It makes sense that young people who have been abused or neglected would be more likely to get in serious trouble. But the numbers are nonetheless ...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 27, 2015
  • Length: 03:27
  • Purchases: 1
One hidden barrier to college: Paperwork
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Jonesville High School counselor Bob Drake helps Joy Sutton fill out her son's FAFSA., Credit: DUSTIN DWYER MICHIGAN RADIO
Getting into college can be a challenge for any student, especially if that student comes from a low-income background. And there’s one barrier for...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Feb 27, 2015
  • Length: 03:12
  • Purchases: 1
Meet Naton Brown. She beat brain cancer. She defied schoolyard bullies. Next up: graduation.
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Naton Brown's senior picture., Credit: JENNIFER DEMING / PHOTOSWITHFLAIR.COM
Here's the story of a young woman who overcame an extraordinary challenge. Her name is Naton Brown. State of Opportunity’s Dustin Dwyer learns more.

Bought by Delta College Public Radio and PRX Remix


  • Added: Mar 13, 2015
  • Length: 03:33
  • Purchases: 2
Is alternative education a good idea for your kid?
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: The goal of alternative programs is to get students to graduation., Credit: MICHELLE / FLICKR
Alternative schools are public schools designed for kids at risk of not graduating high school. These alternative programs don’t get a lot of scrut...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 13, 2015
  • Length: 03:46
  • Purchases: 1
This is what diversity looks like: Students demand action on race issues at Kalamazoo College
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
College students in Michigan, and around the country, have been organizing and protesting over the past year for more racial inclusion on college c...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 20, 2015
  • Length: 03:18
  • Purchases: 1
Fines and fees for crimes trap young offenders in Michigan's criminal justice system
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
People who spend time around kids might have heard themselves say “You’re going to pay for that.” It’s one way of saying behavior has consequences....

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 20, 2015
  • Length: 05:30
  • Purchases: 1
Students find the words to say the things they think they cannot say
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Students gather for a poetry slam organized by The Diatribe, Credit: COURTESY OF THE DIATRIBE
Most Mondays, a group of poets has taken over a classroom in an alternative high school at Kelloggsville Public Schools in Wyoming. The poets are p...

Bought by WAMC Northeast Public Radio


  • Added: Mar 27, 2015
  • Length: 06:36
  • Purchases: 1
Why all white people are racist, but can't handle being called racist: the theory of white fragility
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
We’ve reported often on State of Opportunity about how race can affect children’s lives – that minority groups, on average face worse odds as they ...

  • Added: Mar 27, 2015
  • Length: 03:46
No more generic teacher education
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Caption: Amber Persons and Yamaka Bracey in class at Davenport University's College of Urban Education., Credit: DUSTIN DWYER MICHIGAN RADIO
One of the challenges for teachers just coming out of college is that the schools they enter are not all created equal. Some teaching approaches mi...

Bought by Delta College Public Radio


  • Added: Apr 03, 2015
  • Length: 03:36
  • Purchases: 1
The case for what education can't accomplish
From: Michigan Radio
Series: State of Opportunity
Piece image
America is becoming less equal. That much is now widely acknowledged. But what can be done to improve things for the next generation?

Bought by Delta College Public Radio and PRX Remix


  • Added: Apr 10, 2015
  • Length: 03:19
  • Purchases: 2