 Dear Friend,
Every child deserves the opportunity to develop strong reading and writing skills. From getting a driver’s license to filling out a job application, literacy is a foundational skill. As governor, I am committed to making sure every child reads and succeeds.
Last fall, I sent out a Literacy Survey to get your ideas on how we can do better. Educators, students, and parents all shared their experiences and thoughts about how to improve literacy skills across Michigan. I am grateful for these perspectives and am ready to put them into action.
We all agree that learning must start early. Studies show us that students who attend preK are far more likely to read at or above their grade level. Parents told me they want us to expand free preK so more kids can learn their ABCs and use language skills early. I’m proud we delivered free PreK for All so every child can build the strong foundation they need to be a strong reader, and we must keep going this year.
We must ensure that proven literacy teaching practices are being used in every Michigan classroom. Teachers shared with me that they want stronger, more consistent methods of training so that they can best teach our kids to read and write. By funding LETRS for all educators, which is the best training to teach reading, we’re giving teachers the tools they need to support our students.
In my State of the State next week, I will lay out our plan to continue improving literacy so we can meet our goal to help every child read. Tune in next Wednesday at 7pm to learn how we can do more to set our kids up for success by starting earlier, using proven reading practices like phonics, and giving kids extra help if they need it.
When our kids have strong literacy skills, they grow into creative thinkers, confident speakers, and future leaders.
Let’s keep working to make sure that Every Child Reads.
Sincerely,
 Taking Action to Boost Literacy
Over the past seven years, we’ve taken big, bipartisan steps to improve literacy.
Our actions include:
- Proposing the largest targeted literacy investment in Michigan history in my final budget recommendation.
- Making record investments in education in all of my 7 budgets to train more teachers, tutor more kids, and upgrade classrooms and libraries.
- In 2024, I signed “Science of Reading” legislation, creating a statewide strategy to use proven methods to teach reading, including phonics.
- We doubled down on what works and have helped equip thousands of educators who teach reading with the tools they need to succeed with LETRS training, the best literacy teaching program.
- We invested in literacy coaches—professionals who help educators improve how they teach reading.
- Last year, I joined educators and community leaders from across the state at the first ever Michigan Literacy Summit.
- Just this month, I signed legislation requiring schools to limit phones during class time, so students can focus on learning.
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