Report: Michigan churns through teachers at unsustainable rate

A new report warns that Michigan is churning through teachers at an unsustainable rate
Special education vacancies remain above the overall state average
Michigan has unveiled programs to make teacher training more affordable

Michigan teachers are leaving the field at an unsustainable rate, forcing an increased reliance on those with temporary or interim credentials, according to a report released Thursday.

While stressing that progress is underway, the annual report from the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University found that Michigan still has a glut of special education vacancies and some areas of the state have far too few student teachers.

“Stability is definitely a concern right now,” said Tara Kilbride, associate director of the collaborative and co-author of the report.

“We’re making all this progress with teacher recruitment but just the level of turnover raises serious concerns about stability,” Kilbride said.

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Michigan has roughly 1.4 million public school students across nearly 900 districts. Leaders have struggled to recruit and retain teachers for several years, especially in areas like world languages and science.

Michigan has spent at least $275 million in the past five years trying to stem the tide, including scholarships for students working to become teachers and stipends for student teachers. Local districts can also pay for training for existing employees often known as “grow your own” programs.

But these programs also often feature on-the-job training, meaning teachers are at the front of classrooms with less experience. In all, more than 1-in-20 teachers leading classrooms, 5.3%, have no teaching certificate, while 3% are enrolled in teacher training programs.

“Students are increasingly likely to receive instruction from teachers who have not yet demonstrated proficiency in certain content areas or core teaching practices,” the report says.

Interim and non-certified teachers are more common in charter schools than traditional public schools and more common in urban areas, according to the report.

Retaining current teachers

Even as the state gains new teachers, many are leaving the field. During the last academic year, nearly 8,000 left, while 7,900 entered the field.

“It is not realistic for Michigan to continue replacing nearly 8,000 departing teachers each year,” the report says. “This level of churn places ongoing pressure on districts’ capacity to recruit, support and retain educators. While recent investments in educator recruitment have greatly increased the supply of new teachers entering the workforce, this record-high growth is still not enough to oﬀset the state’s current levels of attrition.”

Kilbride said the state should invest more in mentorship, professional development and compensation. The state ranks 44th nationwide in starting salaries, $41,645, while the average teacher pay of $69,067 ranks 19th among states, according to a separate EPIC analysis.

This week, the State Board of Education discussed the teacher workforce. Heather Wolf, an instructional coach at Shepherd High School near Mt. Pleasant and regional Teacher of the Year, told board members that her district and the state have experienced an increase in teachers coming from alternative route training programs, programs that train people who already have a bachelor’s degree.

Wolf said her district helps less experienced teachers classroom visits and learn from more experienced teachers. She also is leading a book study where teachers are reading the same book that relates to education.

“The teachers I work with, they know I’m not there as an administrator to evaluate them,” Wolf told the board. “I am there to support them.”

Local districts continue to struggle with filling some subject areas more than others. Among the toughest teachers to find: special education (5.2% vacancy rate), world languages (3.3%), arts (2.7%) and science (2.6%).

“Special education stood out in nearly every measure that we looked at as having just these particularly acute challenges: so highest vacancy rates, highest attrition rates, especially high rates of undercredentialed teachers in special ed positions,” said Kilbride.

There were 223,100 students receiving special education last school year in public, private or homeschool settings. This includes people from birth to 26 who have an Individualized Education Plan or Individualized Family Service Plan.

Kilbride said special education is “clearly an area of need,” and leaders should consider how to encourage people to pursue that teaching area.

Advocates and school groups have called for the state to increase funding for special education and change the way the state funds these programs.