• About 1 in 10 teachers in Michigan are people of color, compared with a third of students
• New report highlight barriers that stop people from becoming teachers
• Research shows teacher diversity is linked to better student performance 

As Michigan schools continue to struggle to find enough highly qualified teachers, a new report points to a lack of teacher diversity statewide.

Statewide, 11.3% of teachers are people of color, compared to about 37.7% of students in Michigan public schools, according to new analysis from EdTrust-Midwest, a school policy and advocacy organization. 

Charlotte Pierce, senior policy analyst for EdTrust-Midwest, said about 11% of students go to schools with no teachers of color, meaning about 1 in 10 Michigan students are “going to school and seeing no diverse representation in the front of their classrooms.”

The report offers several ideas to increase teacher diversity throughout the pipeline — from the moment someone chooses to become a teacher all the way through the person’s employment in a school. 

Research shows that Black students who are taught by a Black teacher are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college while being less likely to be chronically absent or get suspended, said Seth Gershenson, a public policy professor at American University. Gershenson researches teacher diversity and said there are also social benefits to teacher diversity.

School is one of the first places children encounter adults that aren’t family members, and “it’s useful for kids of all backgrounds to see that people of different backgrounds can be in those professional positions of authority.”

EdTrust-Midwest’s report, released Tuesday, builds on findings from earlier this year, including a report revealing that while districts with the highest concentration of student poverty employ 13.5% of teachers in the state, they employ 38% of the teachers who have emergency credentials.

Teachers in those high-poverty districts also employ 33.5% of the teachers statewide who are teaching outside of the grade level or subject area on their teaching license. 

“Our goal is to increase the teachers of color who join and stay in the teacher workforce,” said Pierce of EdTrust-Midwest. 

The report joins a chorus of other recent reports calling for changes to Michigan’s education system. A state-sponsored report from the University of Michigan’s Youth Policy Lab recommends giving the governor more authority over education policy and more funding for the Michigan Department of Education. A report from the Autism Alliance of Michigan and other special education stakeholders calls for changes in how special education is funded in public schools. 

The report also comes during a time where the federal government has placed increased scrutiny on diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.

The teacher starting salary in Michigan is $41,645, according to a report from Education Policy Innovation Collaborative at Michigan State University. 

Actions, recommendations

Michigan has a program to help students in sixth through 12th grade to explore teaching as a profession, funding to help future teachers with college scholarships and financial support for student teaching.

The group recommends the state find ways to expose younger students to teaching as a profession, continue the scholarships and student teaching support and help teachers pay back their student loans.  

As college students work toward their teaching credential, EdTrust-Midwest recommends curricula that are “culturally and linguistically sustaining for candidates of color” and that the state “should strengthen its oversight of teacher preparation programs” to ensure teachers are prepared to teach. 

The Michigan Department of Education has repeatedly advocated for funding to address teacher workforce concerns 

“There have been an additional 2,272 teachers of color added to the state workforce in the last eight years, which is a 34% increase,” MDE said in a statement, noting that “the department recognizes that more work is necessary to increase the diversity of the state’s educator workforce.”

It was not immediately clear how many teachers of color left the profession in those eight years.

MDE also assesses educator preparation programs when they are initially formed and after five years. Programs are evaluated annually by the state and required to have national accreditation. 

EdTrust-Midwest recommends districts having inclusive working environments for teachers of color, create affinity groups and “same-race early teacher mentoring relationships for new teachers of color.”

Finally, the group recommends putting in additional protections so that new teachers are not lost to layoffs through “Last In, First Out” policies. This could include protections for teachers in subject areas that are often hard to fill or teachers who completed a “grow your own” program. 

Related

NORTHERN MICHIGAN (WPBN/WGTU) — Firearm deer season has come to a close in Michigan, and state wildlife officials say fewer hunters took to the woods this year. It’s a surprise that’s raising concerns even as the overall deer population appears healthier than in the past.

“Overall deer season this year, to date, seem like things have been going fairly slow,” DNR Biologist Steve Griffith said. “The hunters that we’ve interviewed have reported not a lot of camps in the woods.”

Griffith said seeing the low turnout was a surprise.

“It just seems like there were fewer hunters in the woods Opening day, which was surprising,” Griffith said. “Being on a Saturday, we expect there to be a spike. People don’t have to typically won’t have to take time off to hunt the first two days.”

The DNR is hopeful that the numbers in future years will even out and stay steady.

“We have the hunters that we that we have talked to have been seeing a moderate amount of deer,” Griffith said. “Most of them actually report seeing closer to a one-to-one buck to doe ratio.”

Despite the drop in deer hunters, Griffith said in the past, they used to see a 50-doe-to-one-buck ratio, and what we are seeing now with a one-to-one ratio, is much better.

“Getting the doe numbers down allows for some of the resources to be spread out and gives the bucks a chance to develop antlers and actually they have to move around a little bit,” Griffith said.

Seeing the drop in deer hunters around, it is creating some concerns.

“With the decline in the hunting community we are hampered as far as having enough hunters that are successful to keep tabs on the on the deer population,” Griffith said.

While we are seeing lower numbers in northern Michigan, Griffith said the southern half of the Lower Peninsula is doing better overall as more and more people are hunting closer to home.

“That’s where a lot of deer are down there. That’s farm country more fertile soils and so I’m sure the activity down there should remain pretty active pretty good,” Griffith said.

EAST LANSING – After being formally introduced as Michigan State’s new coach and meeting with donors, Pat Fitzgerald made a brief stop at Spartan Stadium.

As part of a video filmed by the program’s social team, he stepped through the tunnel while holding hands with his wife, Stacy, but it was far from a first impression.

Fitzgerald played and coached for Northwestern at the century-old stadium and recalled a mistake made his first time as head coach in East Lansing.

“We made some poor decision to warm up in front of the student section,” Fitzgerald said during Tuesday’s introductory press conference. “I don’t know why we decided to do that, that was a first and last time that we were going to ever do that.”

In Fitzgerald’s debut season as head coach in 2006, Michigan State rallied from a 35-point deficit in the third quarter in an NCAA-record breaking comeback to win 41-38. A year later, the Wildcats survived student section antics to pull out a 48-41 overtime victory in East Lansing.

“Spartan Stadium has always been an incredibly challenging place to play, I know first-hand,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t want to talk about a lot of those games, we’ll leave those alone, but what jumps out so much is the pride, the people, the commitment and the resources to compete at the highest level. I’m here because I believe deeply in what we can build together.”

Fitzgerald replaces Jonathan Smith, who was fired after posting a 9-15 record in two seasons that lacked a program identity and public support. There are similarities between the two – both former standout players with their lone head coaching experience at their alma mater – but plenty of differences.

Smith, a West Coast native, doesn’t have a fiery personality and never connected with the Michigan State fan base. Fitzgerald is a walking, talking energy drink commercial with deep roots in the Midwest and Big Ten who immediately tapped into what the Spartans want – passion and a belief better days are ahead.

“Michigan State has historically competed for Big Ten championships and my family and I are grateful for the opportunity to make sure we get back to that place,” Fitzgerald said. “We’re going to build this for long-term success and we need everyone to buy in.”

The same Spartan Stadium Fitzgerald remembers for its ferocity hasn’t been as daunting for opponents in recent years. There are a lot of reasons but it basically comes down to winning. Michigan State hasn’t done enough of it and college kids will find different ways to spend their time.

A Michigan State student reporter pointed out continued program failures and asked what the new coach will do to flip it.

“That’s the environment we need, the homefield, hostile, passionate environment and we have to provide a team on the field that has the students say, you know what, we’re having a fun time on Saturday, let’s go have a great party in Spartan Stadium,” Fitzgerald said. “That 12^th person is going to be the student body, and obviously all the other fans, but especially the student body. You’re the core of the fanbase, you’re the heartbeat and we’re going to need you.”