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Dr. Michael F. Rice was appointed Michigan's 44th superintendent of public instruction by Michigan's State Board of Education in May 2019. He officially began his work as state superintendent on August 1, 2019.
Since his appointment as state superintendent, Dr. Rice has led the revamping of the state’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, with defined goals and associated metrics, and focused educators and policymakers on ways to improve inputs, outputs, and outcomes for children. During his tenure, Michigan’s pre-school program, the Great Start Readiness Program, has consistently ranked first nationally in quality, as the state works to implement Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s call for universally accessible pre-school (Goal 1 of the state’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan). The state has substantially expanded children’s mental health funding and supports, with funding increasing from $30 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 to more than a third of a billion dollars in FY23 and the state department of education creating a social and emotional learning/children’s mental health network (part of Goal 3 of the Top 10 Strategic Education Plan).
The state has had five consecutive years of increases in teacher preparation program enrollment, and the governor and state legislature negotiated $575 million in the FY23 budget to support recommendations from the department to address the teacher shortage: fellowships/scholarships, grow your own programs for support staff and students to become teachers, and student teacher stipends, among other ideas (Goal 7). The department has led the push to provide LETRS reading professional development for educators, with more than 6,000 working on or signed up for this professional development as of summer 2023, in addition to the department’s extensive efforts to expand diversity in literacy and comprehensive history instruction (Goal 2). Additionally, the department has fought for more adequate and equitable school funding for students, including but not limited to economically disadvantaged students, students with disabilities, English learners, and rural students (Goal 8).
Dr. Rice came to the Michigan Department of Education after serving 17 years as a local district superintendent: 12 years as superintendent in Kalamazoo, Michigan and 5 as superintendent in Clifton, New Jersey.
During his tenure in Kalamazoo, the community passed all 10 education-related ballot initiatives, and the district began full-day pre-school, quintupled the number of full-day kindergarten students, and improved student achievement in all board strategic plan areas of reading, writing, math, Advanced Placement participation and success, and graduation rates. The district also built its first three new schools in over a third of a century, started an English-Spanish dual language school, began two new alternative programs, and started a mentoring program that served more than 1,400 students. The district grew by more than 1,000 students—double-digit percentage growth—during his tenure.
During his tenure in Clifton, the community passed eight education-related ballot initiatives. The district began and implemented full-day kindergarten in all of its schools; opened its first new school in 42 years; built an extension and an annex for the high school, at 3400 students the largest on a single campus in New Jersey; and created dual enrollment programs for children at Clifton High School to attend Passaic County Community College and Montclair State University. Student achievement rose in all board strategic plan areas.
Dr. Rice began his career in public education in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, where he taught high school French, and founded and coached an award-winning speech and debate program. He graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in psychology with honors and from New York University with a master's degree and doctoral degree in public administration, also with honors.
His most rewarding work remains his mentoring and teaching of, and informal discussions with, school children-- which he continues to do as Michigan's state superintendent.
Michael F. Rice, Ph.D.
State Superintendent
Michigan Department of Education
Dr. Michael F. Rice was appointed Michigan’s 44th Superintendent of Public Instruction by Michigan’s State Board of Education in May 2019. Since his appointment as state superintendent and chairman of the State Board of Education, Dr. Rice has led the revamping of the state’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan, with defined goals and associated metrics, and has focused educators and policymakers on ways to improve inputs, outputs, and outcomes for children.
During his tenure, the state has increased funding in the state school aid act for children’s mental health from $30 million to $361 million and for Great Start Readiness Program (GSRP) pre-school by $202 million. The governor and legislature supported a range of Michigan Department of Education recommendations to address the teacher shortage with $575 million in the FY23 budget to fund scholarships, student teacher stipends, and grow your own programs for individuals interesting in becoming or working to become teachers.
Dr. Rice came to the Michigan Department of Education after serving 17 years as a local district superintendent--12 years in the Kalamazoo Public Schools and five in the Clifton (NJ) Public Schools. In Kalamazoo, the district started and expanded full-day pre-kindergarten; quintupled the number of full-day kindergarten students; passed all voter questions, including three bond issues; built the first three schools in more than a third of a century; grew by more than 1,000 students; and improved student achievement in reading, writing, math, Advanced Placement participation and success, and graduation rates.
In Clifton, the district started full-day kindergarten; opened its first new school in four decades; passed eight voter questions; began dual enrollment agreements with Montclair State University and Passaic County Community College; and improved student achievement in reading, math, and Advanced Placement participation and success.
Dr. Rice began his career in public education in the Washington, D.C. Public Schools, where he taught high school French and founded and coached award-winning speech and debate programs. He graduated from Yale University with a bachelor's degree in psychology with honors and from New York University with a master's degree and doctoral degree in public administration, also with honors.
A long-time mentor of children, his greatest joy continues to be his interactions with children in Michigan’s schools.
