The Future of Education in Michigan
As the number of teachers is dwindling on a national level, this problem is more magnified within specific states. Specifically, Michigan is one of the many states struggling with the lack of qualified teachers.
The logo of the "On the Rise" program starting in Detroit, Michigan. This system will help train people ready to work in schools.
The teacher scarcity in Michigan is significantly growing as they battle a teacher shortage as more retire mid-year. The Michigan Education Association found that mid-year retirements are consistently increasing. They also saw that within the last four years, more teachers are retiring early. Moreover, in 2019-20, there was an increase of more than 53% of people retiring early. For example, between September and December of 2019-20, 600 people alone retired. However, many teachers are not surprised. Even on a local level in Michigan, teachers are underpaid, overworked, and fewer people want to become teachers as it is simply too challenging. However, some improvements have taken place in Michigan. At the beginning of 2021, the Michigan State Department of Education approved a new project in the Detroit Public Schools Community District that allows para-educators and support staff already working within the district to expand their training. The program is called “On the Rise Academy." As shown on a national level, due to the demand for teachers, many people working in schools are not certified or as qualified as they should be. Specifically, high-poverty schools are affected most by this lack of certified educators. Detroit is a school district classified as a mid-high poverty school. This means that a high percentage of students are eligible for free lunch and are living at or below the poverty line. Living in poverty affects students' ability to learn, so highly qualified teachers are crucial in high-poverty areas. Consequently, the State of Michigan Department of Education approving a program like "On the Rise Academy" for Detroit will hopefully improve the conditions of these public schools and scaffold student's education.
Colleges in Michigan are Seeing Less Students Actively Looking to Become Educators
Additionally, fewer people are entering the teaching profession in Michigan. Many colleges are seeing a decrease in students in education programs. A study was created that tracked the enrollment in education programs over the years 2010-11 through 2014-15. Only four colleges have seen an increase in the number of people in teacher-prep programs. Those colleges are Central Michigan University having a 6.1% increase, Ferris State University having a 52.7% increase, the University of Michigan - Dearborn has a 39.2% increase, and Concordia University has a 9.4% increase. Nevertheless, many schools have seen a decrease; specifically, 32 colleges have seen a decline. Some major known Michigan schools like the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor, Michigan State University, Eastern Michigan University, and Oakland University are seeing a decrease of around 40%. Some schools like Hillsdale College and Finlandia University have seen a 100% decrease with no people enrolling in teacher-prep programs in 2015. This study found that there was an overall decline in all fields of education as well; fewer people want to become elementary and secondary teachers. However, special education has the most significant shortage, having around 60% fewer people enroll in these programs.
As a result, the number of teachers in Michigan is declining. Current teachers are retiring early, and there are fewer aspiring educators. Consequently, changes must be made to make the teaching field more valuable to stay in as well as enticing for future teachers. These changes are crucial to ensure future generations are provided with a strong education. Although the field is declining, there are still many people who make it their goal to become a teacher in Michigan. You can meet some of those people on the page, "Aspiring Educators".