Lighthouse Messaging: OEE Leadership Team Town Hall

MACTE Continuous Improvement Conference�April 22, 2026

Presenters

• Kelli Brozanski, Director
• Dr. Sean Kottke, Assistant Director, Preparation and Certification
• Dr. Catherine Plehn, Assistant Director, Data & Accountability and Workforce Supports

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Office of Educator Excellence

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Michigan’s Top Ten Strategic Education Plan Goal 7: Making Progress Toward Increasing the Numbers of Teachers in Areas of Shortage

Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan

Strategic Goals

1. Expand early childhood learning opportunities
2. Improve early literacy achievement
3. Improve the health, safety, and wellness of all learners
4. Expand secondary learning opportunities for all students
5. Increase the percentage of all students who graduate from high school
6. Increase the percentage of adults with a post-secondary credential
7. Increase the numbers of certified teachers in areas of shortage
8. Provide adequate and equitable school funding

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Goal 7: �Increasing the numbers of certified teachers �in areas of shortage

Success Metrics

Quantity – Quality – Diversity

• Teacher preparation enrollment
• Overview of positions reported
• Vacant teaching positions
• Teachers by ethnicity

EPIC’s series of teacher shortage reports provides annual updates about Michigan’s progress in these areas.

Michigan Teacher Shortage Study: 2026 Report

Tara Kilbride,

Salem Rogers,

Tyler Powell,

Jennifer Moriarty

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https://epicedpolicy.org/michigan-teacher-shortage-study-2026-report/

Preparation Program Enrollment

Traditional and Alternative Pathways

• Source: U.S. Department of Education Title II Report

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Initial Certification

More than 5,000 teachers earned initial certificates in each of the last 2 years. 2024-25 marked the first substantial increase �in traditional-route certificates in over a decade.

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Workforce Entry

Compared to a decade ago, graduates from Michigan’s preparation programs are far more likely to teach in a public school within a year of certification.

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Overview of Positions Reported

Michigan lost about 8,000 teachers each year since 2021-22—far more than the number of new teachers certified.

• 5,441 new teachers certified in 2023-24: only enough to replace 68% of the teachers who did not return for 2024-25.
• Who filled the remaining gap?
• Former teachers returning after a temporary exit
• Non-certified teachers
• 2.8% of FTEs �remained vacant

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Early-Career Teachers

New pathways and certification growth mean first-time teachers and teachers who have not [yet] completed a prep program comprise growing shares of the workforce.

Implications for �retention

Early-career teachers, non-certified teachers, and alternatively-prepared teachers leave their positions at higher rates than their colleagues.

Supporting and retaining these teachers will be critical in the coming years.

• Their support needs will differ by experience level and pre-service training.

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Vacant Teaching Positions

Vacancy rates are highest for special education teaching positions, at nearly double the statewide average.

• Many school districts rely heavily on under-credentialed teachers to fill special education positions.
• Turnover rates are also higher in special education than any other type of teaching position.
• Special educators are 31% more likely than elementary teachers to leave their positions and 55% more likely to do so midyear.

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Teacher & Student Comparison

• Initial certification rates are increasing for special education teachers, but not keeping pace with growth in the population �of students with disabilities.

• Source: Population and SWD counts from MISchoolData Student Enrollment Counts Report

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Added Special Education Endorsements

• Nearly one-third of new special education credentials are added endorsements for already-certified teachers.

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Student & Teacher Diversity

While both the teacher workforce and student population have become more diverse over time, the workforce remains far less diverse than the student population it serves.

• Source: MISchoolData Student Enrollment Count & Staffing Count Reports

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Teachers by Ethnicity

Teacher/Candidate Counts and 5-Year Change

• Source: Office of Educator Excellence Educator Workforce Data Dashboard

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Regional & Local Variation

Shortage conditions vary widely, even between close neighboring districts.

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• Severe teacher shortages disproportionately affect students of color, lower-income families, and communities with large charter sectors

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Student Teaching

Gaps between clinical training and hiring needs may contribute to shortages in high-need districts and specialization areas.

• Teacher candidates are less likely to complete their student teaching in low-income, racially diverse, or urban areas than they are to work in these settings after certification.
• School districts in many of the state’s “educator preparation deserts” rarely host student teachers who are preparing for special education or world language positions. 

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Initiatives to Increase the Quantity, Quality, and Diversity of Michigan’s Educator Workforce

Defining the Effort

• Strengthen educator preparation to support the needs of all Michigan students
• Increase the number of certified educators working in Michigan schools
• Diversify the Michigan educator workforce
• Improve retention of educators in schools across the state
• Build a robust educator workforce data system

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12/9/2025

State Budget Investments to Address the Teacher Shortage

• FY20 and earlier - $0 in the state school aid act to address teacher shortage
• FY21 - $5 million for early career retention bonuses
• FY22 - Less than $2 million for Grow Your Own (GYO) programs
• FY23 - $575 million for a range of efforts to address the teacher shortage, many of these initially recommended by MDE
• FY24 - $448 million for a range of efforts to address teacher shortage
• FY25 - $140.2 million for a range of efforts to address teacher shortage
• FY26 - $165 million in new investments for recruitment and preparation, total of $545.3 million to support the educator workforce (including compensation & retiree costs)

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Recruitment & Preparation Initiatives

Expands access to quality teacher preparation

• EXPLORE and LAUNCH programs
• MI Future Educator Fellowship & Stipend
• Grow Your Own (GYO) programs
• Rural educator credentialing hub
• OPTIMISE (Opening the Pipeline of Talent Into Michigan’s Special Education)

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Grow Your Own (GYO) Initiatives

Promotes long-term retention through recruitment & preparation of community members to become teachers

• Talent Together – Statewide consortium of 56 intermediate school districts (ISD) and 18 educator preparation providers (EPP), preparing over 1,200 aspiring teachers
• West Michigan Teacher Collaborative – Regional partnership between ISDs and Grand Valley State University to provide earn-while-you-learn experiences for aspiring teachers
• GYO School Staff Grants – Local partnerships between 163 districts (including 70 partnership districts) and 28 EPPs to support 1,146 aspiring teachers
• FY 26 – New funds for GYO educator development grants

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Rural Educator Credentialing Hub

Expands access to and expedites preparation experiences for teacher candidates in rural areas

• Michigan Consortium for Addressing Rural Education Expansion and Retention (MiCAREER) Resource Hub
• Consortium of rural school districts & EPPs with expertise in supporting rural schools
• Provide no-cost pathways for rural educators to earn certification and additional endorsements
• Utilize innovative assessment of experiential learning to accelerate preparation & certification

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Recruiting Multilingual Educators

Increases the representativeness of the teacher workforce

• Michigan Seal of Biliteracy & “nudge” letter
• Institution of Higher Education Collaborative
• Building certification pathways & partnerships for talented indigenous educators
• Consulting with tribal representatives for standards & assessment development

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Preparation Initiatives

Increases the quality of new teachers through improved preparation experiences

• New preparation standards, programs, endorsements, & tests
• Clinically-rich preparation
• Increased access to teacher preparation through:
• Expedited preparation experiences & alternative routes in high needs disciplines (especially special education)
• Online program delivery
• Competency-based preparation

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Certification Initiatives

Increases the quantity of certified educators

• Streamline application process for out-of-state special education teachers
• Recognize out-of-state teaching experience for Michigan certification
• Welcome Back & Welcome Home Proud Michigan Educator programs

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Special Education Teacher Certification Initiatives

Increases the quantity and quality of special educators

• Special education reciprocity
• Special education teacher tuition reimbursement grant
• Expedited special education preparation programs
• Special education alternative route preparation programs
• Special Education Teacher endorsement and standards

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Special Education Teacher Certification Outcomes

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Educator Retention Initiatives

Increases the professional longevity of Michigan educators

• Mentoring and induction grants
• Educator compensation and student loan repayment
• Teach Michigan
• National Board Certification
• Mental health support professional grants
• Literacy training

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Mentoring & Induction

$50 million investment to support new practitioners

• Materials Creation Grant: $500,000 awarded to Western Michigan University to develop free resources, including standards, curricula, and professional learning, to improve the quality of mentoring and induction practices statewide.
• Evaluation Grant: $500,000 awarded to American Institutes for Research to evaluate mentoring and induction programs in Michigan.
• District Support Grants: $49 million (across 5 years) to improve the quality of local mentoring and induction programming to increase retention.
• Round 1: $12.1 million awarded to 121 districts

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National Board Certification

$5 million investment to support professional learning and growth

• National Board Certification is a high-quality professional development program that elevates educator standards to improve learning outcomes for students.
• First-Time Candidate Grant (27m(7)) – allocated to teachers seeking National Board Certification for the first time
• Over the past 3 fiscal years, $653,425 was awarded to 51 districts to support 344 teachers.
• Recognized Achievement Grant (27m(2)) – allocated to teachers who currently hold National Board Certification
• Over the past 2 fiscal years, $1.552 million was awarded to 96 districts in support of 250 teachers. Round 3 grant applications are being processed.

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Data System Initiatives

Use data to understand progress and determine next steps

• Permit system
• Public credential search
• *Educator Workforce Data Report*
• Teacher Credential Verification Report
• Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) research

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https://go.mi.gov/90xq72081

Closing Slide

Thank you!