Issue 20 | October 2021
Be sure your email address is up-to-date in the Michigan Online Educator Certification System to receive important notifications regarding YOUR certificate.
Please see the archived newsletters for other important information that affects licensure.
Supports Associated with Teacher Retention in Michigan
To alleviate teacher shortages in the state, the Michigan Department of Education has prioritized improving the retention of effective teachers to ensure all students have equitable access to qualified educators. To support this effort, Regional Educational Laboratory (REL) Midwest, in partnership with Michigan and the Midwest Alliance to Improve Teacher Preparation, conducted a study that identifies supports implemented by local education agencies that are associated with teacher retention: Supports associated with teacher retention in Michigan.
Access the full report and related infographic here.
Read a blog post about the study here.
SVSU offers an accelerated certification program for teachers in Michigan
Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) has an expedited teaching certification program amid a nationwide teacher shortage. Through a partnership with the Michigan Department of Education, SVSU offers an Accelerated Certification with Residency (ACR) program, that will certify participants as certified teachers within three semesters. The program offers a one-year paid residency with hands-on experience in a school setting. Learn more about SVSU’s Accelerated Certification with Residency program.
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Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program Overhaul
The Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program is an important—but largely unmet—promise to provide debt relief to support the teachers, nurses, firefighters, and others serving their communities through hard work that is essential to our country’s success. By cancelling loans after 10 years of public service, PSLF removes the burden of student debt on public servants, makes it possible for many borrowers to stay in their jobs, and entices others to work in high-need fields.
The United States Department of Education is announcing a set of actions that, over the coming months, will restore the promise of PSLF. These changes are important steps toward a better and stronger PSLF program, one that will move away from the current situation in which too few borrowers receive forgiveness, and too many do not receive credit for years of payments they made because of complicated eligibility rules, servicing errors or other technicalities.
In the coming weeks, servicers will receive updated information from the United States Department of Education Office of Federal Student Aid to help you navigate these changes. If you encounter challenges working with your loan servicer, you should contact the FSA Ombudsman by visiting StudentAid.gov/feedback.
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Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST)
Nominations are now open for educators teaching math or science content to students in grades K-6. To nominate an educator or begin an application, visit the program website, www.paemst.org. Additional information, including application support and more information about the program can also be found at the website.
If you are not a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) educator who works directly with students in grades K-12 and are interested in sharing your expertise with the PAEMST program, we would welcome your involvement as a mentor or reviewer. Mentors are individuals who use their knowledge of STEM teaching to assist applicants in crafting a compelling application, and reviewers score submitted applications.
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Human Trafficking Virtual Training
The 2021 Virtual Human Trafficking training on Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm will address the sexual and labor trafficking issues educators and health care professionals may encounter at their workplace. We will hear from experts about what and who is at risk of being trafficked, how to spot trafficking, and how to report suspected human trafficking situations. Also, participants will hear from a human trafficking survivor’s story and a Victim Advocate’s fight for survivors. This will be an informative session for all. Click here to register by October 21st.
Continuing Education credits have been applied for and will be offered to those who attend the training.
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Register Today! Computer Science (CS) for Michigan
The virtual CS for Michigan will be held on November 2nd from 12:30 - 5:30 p.m. This is a unique opportunity to connect statewide work in the areas of Computer Science, Michigan Integrated Technology Competencies for Students (MITECS) and Computational Thinking.
CS for Michigan will focus on engaging and inspiring participants with practical examples and content for integrating CS in all classrooms while promoting equity and inclusion. Post event activities include several Slow Chats to deepen the conversation and provide more reflection time. These will begin November 8th and conclude the week of December 6th, culminating in CS Education week from December 6-12, during which CS for Michigan partners will also participate in the Michigan Association for Computer Users in Learning (MACUL) Student Technology Showcase at the Capitol event on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. The CS for Michigan partners are also bringing a CS P.L.A.Y.D.A.T.E with the Regional Educational Media Center Association of Michigan (REMC) Association and MACUL serving as hosts for unique, informal CS Learning Opportunities.
Click here to register for the event ($39) and find out more about this opportunity.
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EPIC Releases Year Three Report for Michigan’s Large-Scale Turnaround E
The Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) is excited to release the third annual report examining Michigan’s Partnership Model of school and district turnaround. EPIC’s mission is to engage in research with consequence, providing rigorous, unbiased research and analysis on key local and state initiatives and programs in collaboration with stakeholder and policy partners. In this report we combine econometric analyses of administrative datasets with surveys of Partnership district educators and interviews of Partnership district leaders.
You can learn more about how Partnership educators, schools, and districts fared during the 2020-21 school year here. We are grateful to our partners at the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and appreciate their response to the report, which can be found here. In their response, MDE highlights their continued commitment to research-practice partnerships and discusses how they intend to use these findings to improve the Partnership Model.
REL Report: Supports Associated with Teacher Retention
The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) wants to improve the retention of effective teachers and formed a partnership with Regional Educational Laboratories (REL) Midwest to study factors that might impact retention. This study informs that effort by identifying teacher supports currently in place in traditional school districts and public school academies that are associated with teacher retention.
Key findings include the following:
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Teachers who responded to a survey most frequently reported the presence of supports related to the teacher evaluation system in their traditional school district or public school academy. Very few teachers reported supports involving compensation and financial benefits other than their salary.
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Teacher retention was higher in traditional school districts that had mentoring programs for new teachers, provided new teachers with an orientation to the school, encouraged regular communication between new teachers and school leaders, and provided annual salary increases.
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Teacher retention was higher in public school academies that had sufficient instructional resources, organized professional development, had mentoring programs for new teachers, and provided opportunities for teachers to set goals in their evaluations.
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For traditional school districts and public school academies that served large percentages of economically disadvantaged students, including opportunities for teachers to set goals in their evaluations and providing annual salary increases were associated with teacher retention.
Superintendent’s Workforce Guide: Fall Edition Now Available
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The Future Proud Michigan Educator Program
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The Welcome Back Proud Michigan Educator Campaign
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Growing the Local Educator Workforce
Recognizing and Retaining Educators
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#proudMIeducator & Educator Recognition
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Educator Evaluation Resources
Requirements and Reporting
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Educator Certification, Placement, and Permits
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Data & Reporting Reminders
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The Michigan Code of Educational Ethics
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Pathfinder, Michigan's Online Career Exploration Tool, Enhanced to Better Support Residents
Pathfinder is a free tool that uses current information related to employment and the workforce, as well as data about the relationship between education and training programs. It allows visitors to better match skills to career paths and jobs and can be accessed at Pathfinder.MiTalent.org.
The latest version of Pathfinder amplifies the user's overall experience by incorporating filters when exploring jobs, fields and schools, and allows visitors to choose multiple paths and compare them with each other. Completed paths can be emailed and printed for later viewing.
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Submit a question and it could appear in an upcoming newsletter!
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