DETROIT, Mich. — Michigan has slid toward the bottom of national rankings in early reading and math and needs a long-term education plan that can survive changes in political power, the Detroit Regional Chamber said in a report released Thursday.
In its seventh yearly look at education and talent, the chamber places Michigan 44th in fourth-grade reading proficiency, down from 16th in 1998, and 34th in fourth-grade math, down from 10th in 2000. The state ranks 37th for the share of residents holding a credential after high school. Over the same stretch, the state has fallen from 18th to 40th nationally in income per person since 2000, the chamber notes.
Chamber leaders credited recent bipartisan work with Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on college access and affordability, but said the state still trails its regional and national peers in K-12 results and degree attainment. The chamber said it wants to work with Gov.-elect Jocelyn Benson to tie those college gains to K-12 reforms, and warned that a plan reset every election cycle will not close the gap.
A separate statewide report this week from the advocacy group EdTrust-Midwest painted a similar picture: only 38.9% of third graders read proficiently on state tests, more than a quarter of students are chronically absent, and about 55% of high school graduates start college within six months, according to preliminary figures. That group wants more money aimed at districts with high student poverty through the state’s opportunity index, which it says would need about $1.3 billion more to be fully funded.
The chamber first set a goal in 2015 for 60% of working-age adults to hold a degree or credential by 2030, a target the state adopted in 2019.
From the HERE City State Desk.
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