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School improvement is an iterative process through which districts and schools develop their capacity, implement and refine new policies and practices, and respond to new developments and needs over time. School improvement policy can also be considered an iterative process, with policy implementors learning from previous rounds of a policy. Michigan developed the Partnership Model for School and District Turnaround to provide support and accountability for its lowest-performing schools (i.e., Comprehensive Support and Improvement schools, or CSI schools). In November 2022, the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) identified the current round (Round 4) of Partnership schools and districts. By the spring of 2023, Partnership districts outlined new improvement goals and accountability measures, and by fall of 2023 they developed improvement plans to meet those goals. Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, they began to implement those improvement plans. This report describes the goals and planning activities for Round 4 of Partnership schools and districts and analyzes the targets that they set, the accountability measures they selected, and the specific activities they planned to implement as part of their improvement efforts.

This report examines the evolving landscape of English language arts (ELA) curriculum and instructional support in Michigan elementary schools from the 2019-20 to the 2022-23 school years. Recognizing the pivotal role instruction plays in shaping students' literacy development, this report explores which curriculum resources teachers are using to provide ELA instruction and the infrastructure of support surrounding curriculum implementation. Relying on statewide survey data, we find that: (1) Districts made many changes to their ELA curriculum resources due to the COVID-19 pandemic but few due to the Read by Grade Three Law; (2) Variability remains a feature of Michigan's ELA curriculum resource landscape; (3) Elementary classroom teachers are more likely to use only one core curriculum resource than they were in 2019-20; (4) Elementary classroom teachers are more likely to supplement their core curriculum with additional writing, phonics, or spelling resources than they were in 2019-20; (5) More teachers are using curriculum resources that EdReports rates as "Meets Expectations" than they were in 2019-20, particularly in districts serving higher proportions of students from historically underserved populations; (6) The majority of the most-used core ELA curriculum resources are not rated by What Works Clearinghouse or Evidence for ESSA; and (7) Teachers reported increased access to curriculum-aligned professional development compared to 2019-20.

The EdResearch for Action "Overview Series" summarizes the research on key topics to provide K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students. This research brief breaks down what is known about multilingual students classified as English Learners (ML-ELs), how ML-ELs perform in K-12 education, and what challenges they face. Key insights provided include: (1) research-based practices--such as bilingual program models--district and school leaders can use to support the academic success and linguistic development of ML-ELs; and (2) one-size-fits-all practices to avoid that can limit many students' opportunities to engage with rigorous content. [This brief was produced in collaboration with the University of Texas at Austin, College of Education.]

This is the third in a series of annual reports about teacher shortages in Michigan that the state legislature requested in December 2020 (2020 PA 316). Although the state data on this topic is limited, these analyses still help to paint a picture of teacher shortages across Michigan, assist policymakers to target policies and programs in ways that can best support the state and local communities in growing their teacher workforces, and highlight ways that new or better data may provide a deeper understanding of local and statewide teacher shortages. In addition to updating the analyses from EPIC's first comprehensive report, we continue to adjust and expand on our past analyses based on the results from prior reports and any additions or improvements to the data available each year.

Educators and policymakers across the country have been raising alarms about a growing teacher shortage. In Michigan, teacher shortages were so severe in the 2018-19 school year that 2,500 classrooms were staffed by long-term substitutes --nearly ten times the number placed in classrooms five years prior. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised even greater concerns about the supply of teachers, with several surveys of Michigan educators administered early in the COVID-19 pandemic indicating a substantial proportion of full-time and substitute teachers considering leaving the teaching profession as a result of pandemic-related concerns. In this study, we use administrative data from Michigan to understand how teachers' propensities to leave the public school system, switch districts, or switch schools shifted after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has raised even greater concerns about a growing teacher shortage. In this study, we use administrative data on more than 140,000 Michigan traditional public and charter school teachers in an interrupted time series framework to understand how teacher attrition and supply may have shifted after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our results suggest that Michigan teachers were more likely to leave the profession, less likely to leave their districts, and more likely to switch schools within their district after the 2020-21 and 2021-22 school years relative to pre-pandemic trends. Additionally, teachers in low COVID-19 rate communities, as well as those in districts that offered fully in-person instruction at the start of the 2020-21 school year, were more likely to leave the teaching profession or switch districts following the 2019-20 school year compared to teachers in fully remote districts.

The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) put forth an aspiring call for science educators to enact instructional experiences that enable all students to participate in the real-world practices of science. To achieve this, teachers need to create classroom environments that will attract all students to science learning and support and sustain their motivation and engagement. This report describes key insights from a collaboration among motivation experts, science education researchers, and middle school science teachers who used a research-based approach to develop a professional learning program with classroom-based resources to promote and sustain students' motivation and engagement for science learning.

The state of Michigan is increasing its commitment to deeper learning strategies to transform classroom instruction and learning through a competency-based approach to education. Competency-based education (CBE) is a school-based shift in teaching and learning designed to give students individualized support and opportunities to advance based on their own levels of mastery. Section 21j of the 2017-2018 School Aid Act allocated $500,000 in grants to seven pilot districts for the design and implementation of CBE programs, with an additional $500,000 in the 2018-19 school year. The pilot program afforded participating districts flexibility in instructional requirements, allowing them to implement CBE practices. The Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University partnered with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) to conduct a multi-year study of the implementation of CBE in the 21 pilot districts. This brief presents findings from surveys administered to teachers and students in the 21J pilot districts during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years.

This brief is one in a series aimed at providing K-12 education decision makers and advocates with an evidence base to ground discussions about how to best serve students during and following the novel coronavirus pandemic. It addresses one central question: Recognizing longstanding educational inequities, what research-backed practices can district administrators, school leaders, and classroom teachers use to support English Learner (EL) students' academic success and linguistic development in an instructional context transformed by COVID-19? In order to answer this question, the brief breaks down the issue into three points: (1) EL students are a rapidly growing and diverse population entitled to English language development instruction that will allow meaningful access to academic content; (2) Complex federal laws govern the education of EL students and continue to hold state and local education agencies accountable for their academic performance even during the pandemic; and (3) School leader and teacher training rarely provides sufficient support for how to meet the unique needs of EL students. Based on these points, the brief provides five strategies to consider and two strategies to avoid. [This brief was co-prepared by the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and the University of Texas at Austin, College of Education.]

The COVID-19 pandemic, a non-economic event, has accelerated trends already emerging throughout the workplace, specifically remote work, technological job displacement, and growing disparity between those with a college degree (post-K12) and those without. In planning for this year's Recruiting Trends project, it was decided to keep the survey very basic as so many employers expressed that they were still adjusting to and planning around the cyclical nature of COVID-19 that still stymied longer term planning. Approximately 2500 attempted the survey with 1998 providing information that contributes to the understanding of today's college labor market. Only 729 employers could provide complete hiring information at this time; the lowest number for any recent Trends report. Despite the desire to return to at least some in-person events and interviewing, employers have realized significant cost savings from virtual recruiting, especially a more efficient use of recruiting staff and personnel from the organization that assist them. Virtual recruiting events, including interviews, remain plagued by poor student attendance and inadequate technology. Nevertheless, virtual recruiting is here to stay in some hybrid form. Students need to expect to encounter digital and AI assisted technologies as part of the recruiting process. Employers discussed the importance of candidates having a Zoom presence that entailed being aware of their environment that employers see behind them, being prepared for the interview, and showing interest in the opportunities at the organization. Employers expect students to shoulder more of the responsibility of managing their job search, especially arriving on time and not being a "no show." Overall, college students seeking full-time positions or internships/co-ops can expect opportunities to be plentiful this year. [For the 50th Edition, see ED610758.]

2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the Collegiate Employment Research Institute at Michigan State University and the 50th edition of the annual Trends in Campus Recruiting Survey. More than 3000 attempted the survey with 2408 providing information that could be used in preparing this report. Due to the high level of economic uncertainty, only 1036 employers could provide hiring information at this time. The respondents represent the rich diversity of companies and organizations seeking new college talent. Sixty-four percent represented organizations with fewer than 500 employers and thirty-six percent with more than 500 employees. Unlike previous years and even the previous decade, this year's academic research report and survey findings is of special significance for both employers and career centers. The scope of insight provided regarding global and regional employment across industries during this novel pandemic will help to understand its impact on career outcomes by major and degree level. Findings indicate that despite the turbulent economy, the college labor market did not totally collapse. In fact, associate-level opportunities continued to expand. The bachelor's labor market swooned with opportunities contracted slightly. Underlying the modest decline, the landscape is murkier with some employers not on campus this fall and many employers without clear directives on their hiring targets. As in past periods of economic uncertainty, students pursuing additional degrees to avoid a poor labor market run the risk of not recouping their investment. Employers expect the recovery of the jobs lost to COVID and attaining the momentum of the college labor market that started the fall a year ago to take some time. Forty-eight percent felt that it would take two to three years to recover and additional 15% even longer. The one sure thing emerge out of the pandemic -- virtual recruiting. Virtual recruiting is here to stay and will shape the recruiting landscape for years to come. [For the 49th edition, see ED603030.]

The 49th annual Recruiting Trends report is based on a survey convenience sample of employers currently seeking college talent through their interactions with college and university career services offices. This year we shortened the survey by half to encourage participants to provide complete information. 2,800 employers, representing a rich diversity of companies and organizations, provided completed information that is included in this report. Survey respondents are recruiting talent for full-time positions, internships, and co-ops. [For the 48th edition, "Part I: Hiring Outlook," see ED593305 and "Part II: Recruiting Challenges, Tough Positions, Improving Recruiting and Major Hiring Outlook," see ED593320.]