Michigan school opinions

The state superintendent outlines 2026 legislative priorities. They include structured literacy training for educators, adequate and equitable school funding, summer learning programs, career and technical education, workforce stability and better learning conditions.

Higher-level skills are not taught through phonics alone. That’s why improving early decoding isn’t enough to prepare kids for real-world reading and writing.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). What’s changed, what hasn’t and why It still matters.

Michigan’s education woes aren’t due to a lack of funding; they stem from a lack of focus. Instead of doubling down on fundamentals like reading by third grade, our leaders continue to chase gimmicks and pour more money into a broken system.

Eliminating the partisan State Board of Education would restore trust and ensure that education decisions reflect the priorities of Michigan families, not political interest groups.

The exclusion of these nonpublic schoolteachers from state-supported Science of Reading training is shortsighted, and it risks leaving behind thousands of Michigan students who all need effective reading instruction.

The Legislature must make passing the School Aid Budget their number one priority and address the needs of our most vulnerable students by investing in a fairer weighted funding formula.

We’ve not tried facing up to our responsibility as a state to invest in all our kids. It’s time to set aside the political fear-mongering blame game and agree on what we want our schools to offer our children and how to pay for it.