Michigan’s Education Ranking Is Falling
A recent report shows third graders in the state showed the greatest decline in reading scores compared to students in other states.
Michigan has plenty of room to improve when it comes to education. A recent report by Education Trust-Midwest finds third graders in the state showed the greatest decline in reading scores when compared to their peers in other states.
Erin Einhorn is the Detroit bureau chief for Chalkbeat – a non-profit news organization covering education. She spoke with WDET’s Jerome Vaughn as part of our new series called “Policy Meets The People – MI Voice, MI Vote.”
Einhorn says the state’s ranking has been moving in the wrong direction.
“Michigan used to be closer to the top than it is now. Now it finds itself pretty much at the back of the pack in reading, in math, and in other categories.”
Einhorn says there are many different ideas about why education in Michigan is problematic. And, she says, there are plenty of ideas about how to solve the problem. But Einhorn says, what’s missing is leadership.
“I haven’t heard anyone step forward and say, ‘this is a problem I’m going to fix,’ and then fix it,” she says.
“Lots of people say they’re going to fix it. But there hasn’t been a real, united joint effort with any kind of real leadership to do anything to change it.”
Einhorn says people she talks to while reporting on education are optimistic about the future. She says over the last year or so, many people have said to her that things are bad, but have hit rock bottom and have to get better.
