Michigan in a New Era:
Transform Education as Michigan’s Defining Mission
We share one goal: every Michigan child should have the chance to learn, grow and thrive. Education is the engine of opportunity and freedom — more skills mean more choices about work, where to live and how to build a life. It raises incomes and provides stability. Across the state, parents, educators, employers and neighbors want our kids to discover their talents and pursue their dreams.
A strong system gives every child — no matter their ZIP code — a fair chance to succeed. Yet we’re asking today’s students to meet tomorrow’s demands with a system built for the 19th century — one that may have served the 20th century well but is no longer fit for a new era.
Consider where Michigan stands today:
Declining outcomes
Michigan fell from 16th to 44th in fourth grade reading since 1998 and from 10th to 34th in fourth grade math since 2000. In that same time frame, Mississippi, despite having less funding per pupil moved from 49th to ninth in fourth grade reading.
Chronic absenteeism
One in four students is chronically absent and Michigan was 37th in the latest nationwide ranking.
Less competitive
7 out of 8 Michigan districts do worse than their peers in top states in math and 71% of Michigan districts underperform national comparison districts in graduation rates.
This is a wake-up call, not a verdict. We’ve tried various solutions in the past, but we’ve bounced back and forth as politics has intervened. It’s time to pick a strategy and stick with it. By keeping outcomes for kids at the center of the conversation, we can move from politics to purpose. Our kids need a system that learns, evolves and innovates so every student is ready for tomorrow. If we deliver, we’ll lift a generation and strengthen Michigan’s future.
An education system for the 21st century
We’re well into the 21st century, yet Michigan’s education system was built for a world that no longer exists. Our kids deserve better — an education that equips them not just for today’s opportunities, but for a future that will demand new skills, new ways of thinking and the resilience to thrive in constant change.
- A system that puts students at the center
- A system focused on achieving competencies in both academic and life skills
- A system that encourages innovation and gives schools and districts the freedom and support to accelerate change
Actions to Take
The path forward requires clarity and focus. Tangible actions and policies must be bold, measurable and outcome-driven — not ideological. Defined this way, they create urgency, guide investment and align the entire system around what Michigan must deliver.
1. The governor must lead Michigan’s education transformation.
We’ve reached a moment where the only leader positioned to reverse our slide and overcome fractured governance, competing priorities and diffuse accountability in education is the governor. The scope and urgency of reform now requires a governor’s leadership to bring clarity and alignment for teachers, parents and schools so that students get results.
This cannot be about incremental fixes. Michigan must reimagine education at the scale of the challenge — broad enough to reach every district, deep enough to address root causes and durable enough to outlast political cycles.
For decades, competing interests and shifting priorities have left Michigan lurching from one policy experiment to the next. Diffuse control and lack of accountability across the system have slowed progress. Taking ownership of systemic reform can break through this gridlock — unifying parents, educators, employers, legislators and advocates around a shared vision for quality outcomes powered by equitable funding, aligned governance and real accountability. Most importantly, it reframes education not as a siloed issue, but as central to Michigan’s long-term competitiveness and prosperity.
Leading this transformation means a commitment to:
- Establish clear priorities and maintain a focus on driving outcomes throughout their time in office and beyond.
- Align budgets and agencies to support those priorities with equity and accountability.
- Mobilize broad coalitions of educators, parents, employers and bipartisan legislators to sustain change.
- Ensure reforms are systemic, scalable and enduring, not one-off projects or short-lived mandates.
- Implement a shared-accountability system focused on student growth, with supports when progress stalls and clear actions when goals go unmet, so every Michigan student graduates with the future-ready skills to be successful.
2. Ensure every child can read by third grade.
Early literacy is the foundation for all future learning. Students who are not reading at grade level by third grade are far more likely to fall behind in every subject and struggle to catch up. Decades of research point to proven curricula, techniques and approaches for teaching reading. Reading at grade level is not just an academic milestone — it is the essential building block of a thriving, equitable education system and economy.
Mississippi’s rise from the bottom to the Top 10 in literacy shows what’s possible with clear goals, an evidence-based plan and sustained commitment. Tennessee, Louisiana and Indiana have used similar strategies to see significant positive leaps in rankings.
Michigan has replicated parts of these best practices, such as the 2024 literacy law requiring a statewide shift to the science of reading, but gaps remain and implementation still lies ahead.
Leading this transformation means a commitment to:
- Fully implement the Every Child READS framework (Right Curriculum, Every Educator Trained, Assessment, Data, Systems) from Launch Michigan
3. Tackle chronic absenteeism.
Chronic absenteeism — missing more than 10% of the school year — has serious consequences. Students who miss too much school are less likely to read at grade level, graduate on time or be ready for college and careers. Yet one in four Michigan students is chronically absent, placing us in the bottom third nationally. Some districts have made progress, but Michigan lacks a statewide plan to improve attendance.
1 in 4 Michigan students is chronically absent.
- Draw on proven models to reverse chronic absenteeism by tracking attendance with a statewide early-warning system, using home visits to uncover and address challenges, and partnering with parents and communities to build a culture of showing up before absenteeism takes hold.
4. Set a high standard for a high school diploma.
A Michigan high school diploma must guarantee that every graduate is prepared for college, training or a career. It should signify real competency — not just attendance or course completion. Today, too many students graduate unprepared, leaving opportunities out of reach.
States like Maryland show what’s possible when we raise expectations and align graduation standards with the skills students need to succeed in work and life.
Michigan can do the same:
- Establish the Michigan Education Guarantee (MEG) to set a rigorous statewide graduation standard that ensures readiness for college, skilled trades and careers.
- Offer multiple high school diploma pathways, providing academic, skilled trades, and career-focused options that reflect Michigan’s diverse economy.
- Expand career and technical education (CTE) by fully funding programs and by providing equitable access to vocational programs statewide.
- Adopt competency-based learning so students demonstrate mastery through applied skills and performance, not just seat time.
5. Seamlessly connect students to apprenticeships, college and careers.
Success today requires skills and learning that go beyond high school. Whether through apprenticeships, skilled trades, community college, four-year degrees or on-the-job training, every pathway exists to do the same essential thing: equip people with knowledge and skills that open doors.
When young people can pursue these paths with confidence, they not only secure good-paying jobs and brighter futures for themselves, but they also strengthen Michigan’s economy. The key is to make these pathways stronger, more accessible, and better connected so that every young adult has a real chance to keep moving forward.
Michigan needs to improve the transition from high school to what comes next. Only 7% of students dual enroll in college while in high school, and nearly half of students who continue past high school fail to earn a credential within six years. But, any credential beyond high school adds 66% or more to a worker’s income, with a bachelor’s degree more than doubling it. We are not doing enough to help students access the skills and training they need post-high school, and this results in limited career opportunities, lower incomes and slower economic growth.
Michigan must:
- Continue progress toward the Sixty by 30 goal, building on the increase from 38% to 52% of Michiganders with a postsecondary credential over the last decade and ensuring that 60% reach that milestone by 2030.
- Create a coherent lifelong learning system by connecting early childhood, K–12, community colleges, apprenticeships and four-year institutions.
- Expand dual enrollment, apprenticeships and work-based learning in high school while reforming funding, so districts aren’t unintentionally penalized for providing these opportunities.
- Expand career counseling capacity in high schools and colleges, aligned with real labor market needs.
- Improve community college outcomes through graduation support, performance-based funding, seamless transfer pipelines and employer partnerships that connect credentials to in-demand skills.
Education pays off
An associate degree boosts median wages by 66% compared to a high school diploma, while a bachelor’s degree more than doubles them.
Source: MI School Data, US Census
Median Annual Wages in MI after Five Years (2024)
