LANSING — Michigan has launched a new educator preparation collaborative aimed at strengthening the state’s teacher pipeline as school districts continue to face persistent staffing shortages.
The Educator Preparation Program Collaborative is a two-year, statewide initiative designed to improve how teachers are recruited, prepared, and retained through intensive program reviews, technical assistance, and long-term implementation support. The effort is facilitated through a partnership between the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative and national organizations EdPrep Partners and 2Revolutions.
According to program materials, the educator preparation collaborative focuses on building stronger, data-informed partnerships between educator preparation programs and K–12 school districts. The goal is to create scalable and sustainable improvements in teacher readiness while increasing enrollment in high-quality preparation pathways.
The collaborative includes several structured components, including vision-setting sessions, week-long diagnostic reviews, strategic action planning, and customized technical assistance. Participating institutions will also engage in expansion planning to grow teacher residencies and apprenticeship-style pathways into the profession.
Five universities were selected through a competitive application process for the first cohort: Central Michigan University, Eastern Michigan University, Michigan State University, Northern Michigan University, and Western Michigan University. Collectively, these institutions prepare at least 40 percent of Michigan’s new teachers annually.
The launch comes as Michigan continues to confront widespread educator shortages. A January 2026 statewide analysis found that teacher vacancies persist across subject areas and regions, with districts increasingly relying on under-credentialed educators and temporary placements to fill classrooms. National data shows that shortages are driven primarily by high attrition rates and declining entry into the profession, particularly in special education, math, and science.
State education planning documents emphasize the need to expand the number of certified teachers in shortage areas while improving preparation quality and retention. Increasing access to high-quality preparation pathways is identified as a core strategy for addressing long-term workforce instability.
The educator preparation collaborative is intended to support those goals by identifying structural gaps within preparation programs and supporting sustained improvement rather than short-term fixes. Program leaders say the emphasis on diagnostic reviews and ongoing support is designed to ensure changes can be implemented at scale across institutions and districts.
Over the two-year period, participating programs will also take part in statewide convenings to share lessons learned, problem-solve collectively, and align efforts to improve educator preparation outcomes.
State officials have indicated that lessons from the initial cohort will inform potential expansion of the collaborative model to additional preparation programs in the future, as Michigan continues efforts to stabilize and strengthen its educator workforce.