Further expanding alternative certification paths for prospective teachers could improve the diversity of and accessibility to the workforce in Michigan, a new report from Michigan State University’s Education Policy Innovation Collaborative found.
Traditionally, most teachers in Michigan are certified through undergraduate institutions, but the state also offers the option for individuals who already have bachelor’s degrees to complete an accelerated training program while teaching in the classroom under an interim certification. Researchers at EPIC found the expansion of the alternative certification option in recent years coincided with increased diversity, as well as retention of existing teachers and the pool of incoming new teachers.
“These programs are generally more flexible, less expensive and less time-intensive than traditional pathways to teaching,” EPIC associate director Tara Kilbride said in a statement.
About a decade ago, when the alternative pathway was less common, fewer than 2 percent of teacher trainees were enrolled in the two programs offered. Now, with nine programs available, roughly 30 percent of teacher trainees in 2022-23 became certified through alternative pathways.
Superintendent of Public Instruction Michael Rice said the expansion of non-undergraduate certification opportunities is a key tool in remedying the state’s teacher shortage.
“Increasing the numbers of certified teachers in areas of shortage is Goal 7 in Michigan’s Top 10 Strategic Education Plan,” Rice said in a statement. “While we have made great progress in addressing the shortage and making the state’s teacher workforce more diverse, we still need to do more. Alt-route enrollment is one additional means by which we can ensure that children have access to certified teachers.”
The earliest alt-route programs in the state primarily served the Detroit metro region and nearly all teachers from these programs worked in urban areas, researchers said. New virtual options have made alternative teacher certification accessible throughout the rest of the state, bringing the number of alt-route certified teachers in rural areas nearly on par with those in urban areas.
Over the next few years, researchers will be able to learn more about the newer groups of teachers who became certified using alternative routes and how virtual programming from for-profit organizations affected performance of those teachers versus teachers who were certified through traditional programs.
“There’s a lot that we don’t yet know about the newest cohorts of alt-route teachers, who are just now starting to complete their training and enter the workforce,” Kilbride said. “It will be important to assess whether and how their certification progress, teaching performance and longevity in the profession differ depending on the type of alt-route program they attended.”
– By Lily Guiney
