Five policy priorities to address Michigan's inequitable teacher shortage: fair funding, data systems, career attractiveness, administrator supports, and professional development¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (1 for, 1 against) · 2 studies (2 associational), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 2 claims rest on one study

Description¶

The report proposes five priorities as a roadmap for sustained change: fair and adequate funding to support competitive salaries especially in high-poverty districts; improved state education data systems so policymakers and parents have timely, accurate information; making teaching an attractive, financially stable career; investing in school administrators' capacity to evaluate teachers and give actionable, student-centered feedback; and increasing access to high-quality professional development. The authors state "districts cannot hire and retain high-quality teachers without adequate and fair funding."

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• State and local investment in competitive salaries, accurate vacancy and workforce data reporting, and funded professional development programming

Constraints¶

• The Opportunity Index funding formula is not fully funded; the legislature approved prorated rates for fiscal year 2025, with band 6 receiving an additional 16.66% rather than its 47% goal weight

Target Learners¶

• Michigan pre-kindergarten through grade 12 students, particularly Black and Latino students and students from low-income backgrounds

Target Learning Goals¶

• Equitable access to experienced, credentialed, in-field teachers supporting reading and math proficiency

Claims¶

• Access to mentors and coaches is inequitably distributed, with high-poverty schools far less likely to have supported principals [-W]
• Teacher shortages fall disproportionately on high-poverty and high-minority schools, which had four times as many uncertified teachers in 2013–14 [+W]

Related Strategies¶

• State and federal policy recommendations: recruit and prepare more candidates, retain new teachers through early-career mentoring, and improve working conditions
• Seven-policy comprehensive approach to equalizing student access to certified and experienced teachers
• Eight state and local strategies to address California teacher shortages
• Five-step state roadmap for equitable access to experienced teachers: examine data, diagnose level, set goals, enact policy, monitor accountability
• Five-step state roadmap for equitable access to experienced teachers: examine data, diagnose root causes, set goals, implement data-based policies, and monitor with transparency

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Jen DeNeal, Charlotte Pierce, and the EdTrust-Midwest team. (2025). Addressing Michigan's Teacher Shortage Problem for Students Most in Need: Closing the Opportunity Divide. EdTrust-Midwest. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED671388