Michigan education reforms aim to keep pace with National shifts

Since the pandemic, 17 states have launched universal school choice programs, offering scholarships and education savings accounts. Thirty states have opted in to the federal tax credit program that steers grant money to eligible families. Michigan has yet to announce its plan, leaving schools at risk of falling behind.

Home education is growing as well. According to the Johns Hopkins Institute of Education, 2.8% of school‑age children in the United States were homeschooled in 2019, a number that jumped to 5.92% in the 2023‑24 school year. Three major education decisions from the U.S. Supreme Court over the last decade have aided these school choice expansions, allowing students to attend private or religious schools without restriction.

Technology‑assisted learning is also reshaping the classroom. Families are putting their children in AI‑assisted schools that teach life skills like negotiation, problem‑solving and entrepreneurship. One such school, Alpha School, launched in Austin, Texas, 12 years ago and added eight schools last year, with nearly two dozen starting later this fall. Michigan’s governor has highlighted the need for reform, noting that since 2014 the state has experienced the worst decline in childhood literacy, and that Michigan ranks 44th for 4th‑grade reading.

Read the full story at mackinac.org.