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We appreciate the work of the authors Tara Kilbride, Salem Rogers, Jennifer Moriarty, Tyler Powell and our collaborators Michigan Department of Education and Center for Educational Performance and Information - without whom this report would not have been possible.

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Mismatch between teachers’ clinical training and eventual job placements could contribute to early-career attrition. Teachers are more likely to work in urban, low-income, or racially diverse areas than they are to complete student teaching in these settings.

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Early-career teachers—especially those with less pre-service training—leave their positions at the highest rates, contributing to continued instability even as new certifications increase.

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2.8% of all teaching positions remained vacant. The rate was nearly twice as high for special education positions, which also face the highest turnover and widespread reliance on under-credentialed teachers.

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Statewide, 5.3% of all teachers in 2024-25 were not certified. Charter schools’ reliance on uncertified teachers was especially high at 23%, compared to 3% in traditional public schools.

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Nearly 8k MI teachers left the workforce in 2024-25. The 5.4k new teachers certified that year—a decade-high for the state—were only enough to replace 68% of those who left. Uncertified teachers and former teachers returning to the profession filled most of the remaining gap.

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Education Policy Innovation Collaborative | Michigan Teacher Shortage Study: 2026 Report | EPIC Reports

EPIC’s 2026 teacher shortage report builds on previous analyses using newly-available data to paint a picture of school staffing challenges across Michigan. See 🧵⬇️ and visit tinyurl.com/yf67zs89

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Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, a research center devoted to rigorous evidence about education policy. Producing research with consequence

Thanks to authors Tara Kilbride, Wei-Chu Chen, @vcrumlish, & Seth Walker, the EPIC team, & our amazing collaborators and partners in #ResearchWithConsequence that make these studies happen: MDE, CEPI, MiDataHub, & Education Policy Initiative.

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5+ years since COVID-19 began, assessment data show signs of progress & enduring challenges. Math gains are strong but short-term, not fully translating into longer-term growth. Reading gaps are narrowing in upper grades, but show little change at the elementary level.

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In 2020-21, students with no access to in-person instruction were the least likely to make “typical” growth (i.e., the median growth of similar students pre-COVID). 4 years later, their growth has “caught up” to the rest of the state but their achievement remains lower.

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Gaps between high- and low-performing students widened in 2020-21. Reading gaps have since narrowed in middle school grades due to improvements at the 10th & 25th percentiles. Math and elementary reading gaps changed little since spring 2021, staying wider than pre-COVID norms.

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Students experienced rapid growth in math achievement in both 2023-24 and 2024-25, but larger-than-typical setbacks over the summer meant that not all progress carried over from one year to the next. Reading achievement has remained mostly stagnant since 2021.

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Education Policy Innovation Collaborative | Michigan’s 2024-25 Benchmark Assessments | COVID19 Research - Education Policy

📢 Just released! EPIC’s latest benchmark assessment report incorporates the newest available school year data and expands on our previous analyses about COVID-19 learning recovery for Michigan’s K-8 students. bit.ly/4rOFbJ6

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Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, a research center devoted to rigorous evidence about education policy. Producing research with consequence

EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

EPIC is hiring! Check out our research specialist position at: bit.ly/3Wex2z9

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Read the full report and methods here: bit.ly/47UWWPq

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Research shows investing more, especially on instructional salaries, improves student outcomes. In Michigan, instructional spending is mostly flat and a larger share now goes to legacy retirement costs, meaning fewer dollars reach classrooms.

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Flexible dollars declined. The foundation allowance buys less than it did two decades ago, and it now makes up a much smaller share of district revenue. This has been replaced by more restricted funds, which makes budgeting harder.

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Adjusting for inflation, funding rose through the early 2000s, fell for an extended period, and has partially rebounded since 2022. Even with recent gains, totals remain below the early-2000s peak, and some growth came from time-limited aid related to the pandemic.

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Student needs have grown. The shares of students with disabilities, at risk, and English learners are all higher today than two decades ago. Serving students with higher needs takes more resources to achieve the same outcomes.

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Understanding Michigan’s K-12 funding story starts with demographics: statewide enrollment has fallen since it peaked in the early 2000s. Smaller systems have higher per-pupil fixed costs, but in Michigan when enrollment falls, revenues do too.

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How to fund teacher raises? 1- 73 % back more state funding for K-12 education. 2- A majority favors shifting $$ from non-education budget areas. 3- Fewer than 1 in 5 would cut school programs or grow class sizes.

Michiganders support action on teacher pay: 75 % say starting pay should rise, tagging a “fair” salary at $54.6k, a raise of about $13k. There is also strong support for raising average teacher pay, with support for a raise of about $2,400.

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Average salaries have also fallen, with Michigan teachers earning almost $3000 less than the national average and raking 19th in the country, dropping 3 spots since the 2021-22 school year.

Since 2021, MI starting pay has inched up slightly, while other states sprinted ahead. Average starting salaries are nearly $4,900 below the national average, and the state is now 44th on this measure, sliding 5 spots in recent years.

Education Policy Innovation Collaborative | Teacher Compensation: Recent Trends and Public Opinion, 2025 Update | EPIC Reports

NEW from EPIC: Michigan teacher pay keeps sliding, but public opinion signals a desire for action. Teacher salaries have declined relative to inflation, other states, and other industries. Read on for more on our findings bit.ly/4lVIsCW. #MIed #TeacherPay

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Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, a research center devoted to rigorous evidence about education policy. Producing research with consequence

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Michigan’s GYO portfolio includes: ✅ GYO School Staff Grants ✅ Talent Together ✅ EXPLORE elective courses for middle/high school students ✅ LAUNCH credential programs for high schoolers Each program uniquely supports different pathways into teaching.

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

GYO initiatives recruit future educators from within the local community including students and support staff. These local connections may produce teachers who are more committed & representative of their students. Find out about 4 key state-funded programs in our GYO primer!

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 23/07/2025

Teacher shortages are a critical issue, particularly in urban & rural areas, special ed, and STEM subjects. Learn how Michigan is investing over $275M in Grow-Your-Own (GYO) teacher initiatives to address challenges & diversify the educator workforce. epicedpolicy.org/gyo-teacher-...

epicedpolicy.org

Education Policy Innovation Collaborative | Grow Your Own Teacher Initiatives in Michigan At-A-Glance | Other Publications - Teacher Workforce

Education Policy Innovation Collaborative, a research center devoted to rigorous evidence about education policy. Producing research with consequence

EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 06/05/2025

📚 It’s Teacher Appreciation Week! 👩‍🏫Huge thanks to the wonderful educators who work so hard to support their students, schools, and communities. We appreciate all that you do – THANK YOU!

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

It’s Grad Student Appreciation Week! Thanks to research assistants Caroline Bartlett, Jennifer Moriarty, Shane Turnage, Matthew Guzman, Marcus Dockerty, Dasmen Richards, Kuma Okoro, Soo Lee, Cristina Stanojevich, Seth Walker, Tyler Powell, Ryan Nowak, and Andrew Johnson.

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We appreciate the work of the authors Tara Kilbride, Salem Rogers, Jennifer Moriarty, Tyler Powell and our collaborators at MDE and CEPI - without which this report would not have been possible.

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2/3 of grads from traditional in-state programs teach within 30 miles of their hometowns. Teachers who switch districts in their first 5 years typically move closer to home; this is especially true for those from rural areas.

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Many rural districts are susceptible to acute teacher shortages due to their small size and limited supply new teachers. With few graduates who become teachers and less access to nearby prep programs, these districts rely more on teachers from non-traditional pathways.

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Vacancy rates are higher for special ed than any other type of teaching position; many districts reported >10% of their special ed FTEs vacant. Mobility & attrition rates are high for these positions, and many districts rely on under-credentialed teachers to fill them.

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Early-career teachers make up a larger share of the workforce than at any other time in the past decade. While most are recent grads from teacher certification programs, many are trainees with temporary or interim credentials.

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

For the last 3 years, MI’s teacher workforce has been growing larger but also facing high turnover. While turnover rates started to stabilize in 2023-24, they remain elevated above pre-pandemic levels.

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Thanks to authors Tara Kilbride, Wei-Chu Chen, Erin Conley, the EPIC team, & our amazing collaborators and partners in #ResearchWithConsequence that make these studies happen: MI Department of Education, Center for Educational Performance and Information, MI Data Hub, & Education Policy Initiative.

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EPIC @epicedpolicy.bsky.social · 18/12/2024

More than 4 years after COVID-19 disrupted schooling, Michigan student achievement trends show progress but not full "recovery." Average math scores have improved, but reading remains stagnant. However, gaps between top and bottom readers are narrowing in some grade levels.