LANSING ~ Michigan educators and state leaders continue to face sharp challenges in literacy, teacher preparation, and student attendance as new data show reading scores slipping and classroom conditions shifting.
“Our third‑grade reading scores are at a new low,” said Bridge Michigan education reporter Isabel Loam, speaking during a recent discussion on 760 WJR’s All-Talk with Kevin Dietz about statewide academic trends. Loam said the downward trend is intensifying due to rising chronic absenteeism, which teachers tell her makes it harder for students to regain lost reading skills and for new instructional training to take hold. She said teachers also report that significant time spent on standardized testing reduces the classroom hours needed to build foundational reading skills.
PODCAST
March 25, 2026 ~ Michigan’s declining reading scores, growing absenteeism, and uneven teacher preparation are converging into a statewide education challenge that candidates cannot ignore. Bridge Michigan reporter Isabel Loam joins All Talk with Kevin Dietz to break down what the data shows, what teachers are seeing, and why literacy remains one of the defining issues for 2026 voters.
(CONTINUED) Michigan lawmakers and education leaders are weighing several approaches to reverse declining literacy rates, most of which center on improving how children are taught to read. Democratic officials have proposed expanding state investment in high‑impact tutoring, literacy coaches, dyslexia screening, and mandatory training in the science of reading, arguing that consistent, phonics‑based instruction is essential for improving early literacy across all districts. Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Democratic legislators have called for increased funding to strengthen curriculum materials, hire additional instructional staff, and ensure every K–5 teacher receives research‑based literacy preparation.
Republican candidates and lawmakers support some of the same reading‑instruction reforms but differ sharply on how to implement them. Several GOP proposals call for mandatory phonics‑centered curricula, reinstating an A–F school grading system, and expanding school‑choice options to create more competition among schools. They argue that years of increased spending have not produced better results and that stronger accountability measures, along with broader educational alternatives, are needed to push districts to improve. Some Republicans have also questioned the legality and cost of requiring all teachers to complete specific commercial training programs such as LETRS.
Lawmakers from both parties agree the issue is urgent, but remain divided on which strategies will most effectively help Michigan reverse its declining literacy trends as Election Day approaches.
