The people helping you avoid burnout are burnt out. That’s not good for anyone.
The demand for mental health providers has always outpaced supply. This has only gotten worse over the past few years.
Policies & Power
Exploring and explaining the impact the powerful and their policies have on our fellow citizens.
Latest in Policies & Power
‘There are some things I just don’t have to explain’
In order to get the most from mental health care, patients need counselors who can fully understand them – from language, to culture, to the experiences of members of a marginalized community.
KPS educators and administration at odds on solving teacher shortage
A survey of Kalamazoo Public Schools teachers finds widespread dissatisfaction, looming departures, and recommendations to make the classroom experience better for them and their students. District administration says retention rates are steady thus far into the summer, and they plan to retain and lure teachers with a focus on compensation and professional development.
Complete data from our KPS teachers survey
For our reporting on teacher retention, NowKalamazoo administered a survey of Kalamazoo Public Schools teachers. In the interest of transparency, we are providing the results below for all to see.
‘It’s really heavy work’
Their personal trauma with gun violence equips local intervention workers to fight on the front lines against it. But at what cost to their own mental health? How a shift in the traditional approach to therapy supports a group that’s usually reluctant to do it.
Reading Recovery, or regression?
KPS is using a reading program that recent studies show to be ineffective and potentially harmful. A concerned mother turns to NowKalamazoo as her questions go unanswered by the district.
‘He’s never gonna be the same again’
What type of support does a child need to recover from the trauma of being shot? A Kalamazoo mother is on a lonely search for that answer.
From the managing editor’s notebook: A snapshot of homelessness in Kalamazoo
NowKalamazoo’s Kristie May helped conduct a nighttime count of anyone sleeping outdoors within Kalamazoo County. Here’s what she learned.
KDPS chief loses misconduct review, wins retirement deal
Kalamazoo’s chief of public safety stands accused of discrimination and harassment during the brief time he was in charge of the department. But Vernon Coakley is being allowed to retire with a year of pay and full benefits.
A look in the mirror
A consultant hired by the city of Kalamazoo didn’t just recommend 40 policy changes, it also suggested better communication to the community and a police department more receptive to critique – two ways to avoid a repeat of the summer of 2020.
