Information on Michigan academic standards and instructional resources.
Learn more about the MDE office responsible for providing leadership in curriculum and instruction that provides students with greater choices to prepare for success.
Resources for educator certification, recognition programs, evaluation, and workforce research.
The Equitable Services Ombudsman helps ensure equitable services for private school children, teachers, and other educational personnel.
Resources related to financial and pupil accounting and auditing.
Options available for Michigan students that provide unique learning opportunities.
Food & Nutrition Programs
This MDE office provides resources and technical assistance in physical education, sex education, health education, behavioral, emotional, mental, and social education as well as safety, discipline, and transportation.
Resources for programs and initiatives that support school improvement efforts.
Resources for supporting special education in Michigan.
Michigan has an innovative and comprehensive system of assessments to measure student achievement in learning our state content standards.
Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)
Search is currently unavailable. Please try again later.
The web Browser you are currently using is unsupported, and some features of this site may not work as intended. Please update to a modern browser such as Chrome, Firefox or Edge to experience all features Michigan.gov has to offer.
December 15, 2025
Education, Labor, Business, Philanthropic, Government Leaders,
Legislators, State Board Members Gather to Discuss What Works and
How to Work Together to Help All Students Succeed
DETROIT – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and new State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko today called on a broad group of state leaders to collaborate to build upon ongoing efforts to improve student literacy in Michigan.
Nearly 300 leaders gathered for the first Michigan Literacy Summit at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit for an event highlighted by panel discussions to better understand both the challenges our state is facing and proven strategies for helping Michigan students learn to read better.
“Literacy is a cornerstone of any state’s success. It leads to better outcomes for kids, families, and communities,” said Gov. Whitmer. “I’m proud of the work we’ve done to help more kids read, from tripling literacy coaches to Science of Reading legislation requiring educators to use teaching methods that are proven to help students read better than they can today. But as a state, we have so much more to do to address this long-standing crisis. Going into my final year, literacy is my No. 1 education priority. Let’s get this done and help every child read.”
Maleyko, who became Michigan’s state superintendent of public instruction last week, emphasized the importance of collaboration.
“Literacy is my top priority,” Maleyko said. “You will hear me talk frequently about the need to put Students First in every discussion and in every decision we make. To do that, we must have unified leadership, which is what today’s summit is all about. To improve literacy, we need to all work as a team: the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and State Board of Education, the Governor’s Office, local educators, parents and families, legislators from both parties, education associations, teacher unions, higher education, librarians, and partners from businesses and philanthropic organizations.”
During panel discussions at today’s summit, participants reflected on why improving literacy is so critical for Michigan and its students, how other states are improving, what Michigan is already doing to improve outcomes, and what must be done to further improve outcomes.
In addition to Gov. Whitmer and Maleyko, Michigan panelists included:
"For Michigan’s business community, early literacy is an economic imperative because it directly shapes students’ ability to succeed in school and in life," said TalentFirst's Jandernoa, who is also a founding partner of 42 North Partners. "When children struggle to read, they face barriers that follow them into adulthood, affecting workforce readiness, productivity, and long-term economic growth. The Michigan Literacy Summit is an opportunity to advance proven solutions that reverse alarming early literacy trends and ensure every student has a chance to succeed." TalentFirst is an alliance of CEOs working with educators, workforce leaders, policymakers and others dedicated to making West Michigan a leader in world-class talent.
The summit also featured panelists from Mississippi talking about how the state historically turned around its literacy outcomes, and what states like Michigan can learn from their work.
The summit highlighted the need to work together to accelerate statewide efforts and recognized how Michigan has taken significant actions to improve reading achievement including the Science of Reading literacy and dyslexia laws signed by Gov. Whitmer in fall 2024. The laws, which passed with bipartisan support, are strengthening early literacy materials, professional development and coaching. The laws promote the Science of Reading by requiring schools to use evidence-based reading instruction like phonics and screen K-3 students for dyslexia, ensuring early intervention.
MDE has urged local districts to provide Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling (LETRS) Science of Reading professional development for educators, with more than 5,500 Michigan teachers having completed the training on the Science of Reading as of Dec. 1 and just under 6,000 active participants.
“LETRS training has provided our teachers with the best tools to make sure our students have the highest quality instruction,” said Martin, the Waterford superintendent. “Waterford is providing highly skilled reading instruction to all of our students. Since implementation, we are seeing consistent language arts growth in all of our buildings and have the majority of our 3rd- and 4th-grade students performing better than state averages on M-STEP (the state’s assessments).”
“Michigan’s Literacy Summit is an essential step in doing the collective work we must do to transform how we teach children and youth in our state,” said Dean Moje. “Putting children squarely in our sights as we discuss literacy and all other education work in our state is essential to making lasting change for all learners. To do this work, we must commit to seeking solutions together.”
Gov. Whitmer issued a call to action at the end of today’s summit, saying, “This is not a partisan issue—it’s a shared responsibility. We must start early, invest in teachers, and identify struggling readers sooner. Literacy is a shared responsibility, and it’s on all of us to solve this problem. Together, we can make Michigan a place where every child reads and thrives.”
Also attending were State Board of Education President Dr. Pamela Pugh and board members Tiffany Tilley, Dr. Judith Pritchett, Marshall Bullock II, and Nikki Snyder.
# # #
Media Contact:
