Nearly 17,000 Michigan educators have provided their feedback on a statewide survey which will now help to shape policy recommendations around literacy, educator support, accountability and school funding.
Nearly 17,000 Michigan educators have provided their feedback on a statewide survey which will now help to shape policy recommendations around literacy, educator support, accountability and school funding.
As CMF reported in February, the survey was fielded by Launch Michigan, the statewide coalition of diverse organizations, including CMF, who are working together in support of improving student outcomes.
The survey was administered to gather insights from Michigan teachers, support staff and administrators, to listen to what they believe is needed to provide a best in class education to all Michigan students.
The project was modeled after a similar survey used in Tennessee, a state that is widely regarded as a model for education improvement according to Launch Michigan. The Michigan data has also been presented alongside Tennessee data to show how their educators responded for comparison purposes.
Key takeaways:
A little more than half (56 percent) of the educators said they feel empowered to teach in ways that best fit their students. In Tennessee that number is 73 percent.
Only 43 percent reported receiving professional learning suggestions that were curated to them. That’s compared to 75 percent of Tennessee educators.
One in 10 Michigan educators say they will leave for another career in the next two to three years while another one in 10 will retire.
More than half of the educators (54 percent) said the M-STEP is not helpful.
When it comes to literacy, nearly a quarter of Michigan educators say their schools are not prepared to provide additional support to students who may be held back by the 3rd grade reading requirements. This rises to over four in ten in certain types of urban districts, especially those with high poverty and low per pupil spending. Only 22 percent say their schools are prepared to offer substantial support to students who are retained.
Two in five educators said there aren’t enough books in their classrooms.
Educators in urban districts, particularly those with high poverty and lower per pupil spending, are more likely to report certain types of problems, such as large class sizes, poor building conditions, lack of parental involvement and lack of resources for literacy.
“This is a very rich set of data that provides Launch Michigan with a good read into the perceptions of front-line educators across the state,” Emma White, the researcher leading the survey analysis said. “The results show the passion that educators have for their students and their careers, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for education policy in this state.”
Educators did weigh in on specific policies that could positively impact their classrooms and schools.
Most educators (80 percent) said reducing class size would make a large impact on the education system.
In addition, 65 percent said expanding access to high quality preschool would lead to big improvement in schools.
Most teachers also reported that allocating funding based on student need, effective mentoring for early-career teachers and principals and expanding programs to connect families with social services would have a large impact.
Educators in mostly urban areas and lower funded districts said literacy coaches would make a large impact.
As for next steps, Launch Michigan said it will use the findings of the survey to guide a set of policy recommendations it intends to propose to Governor Gretchen Whitmer and our state Legislature later this spring.
Check out the full report.
Connect with Launch Michigan.
