Five Michigan universities join collaborative to improve statewide teacher retention

Experts say it's often in the first three to five years that new teachers call it quits and leave the classroom, but a new program involving five Michigan universities working together aims to address some of the issues causing constant teacher turnover. 

Michigan State University, alongside Northern Michigan, Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan universities are all part of a new cohort within the Education Preparation Provider Collaborative. 

"Classrooms are different. Preparing teachers today for very different classrooms for very different needs," said Chad Waldron, the chairperson of the Department of Teacher and Special Education at Central Michigan University. 

Data from Michigan State University found that the state is churning through teachers at a very high rate. In the 2024-25 school year, 8,000 teachers entered the profession, but 7,900 exited. 

Waldron said CMU and other universities have a lot to cover with future educators in just four years. 

"It's working with diverse populations. It's working with how do we help our teacher candidates to learn the curriculum that we want them to learn?" he said. "How do we support teachers out in the field who are taking our candidates and helping to mentor them to become the next generation of teachers?" 

The new program also comes in the middle of a school year that began for many teachers without a contract, like Northville Public School teachers. Richard Tabor, the president of Northville Education Association, said he thinks the best preparation for future teachers comes in the form of hands-on learning. 

"More time in the field, more time being able to work with teachers who are already experts and work with students would be very useful," Tabor said. 

Tabor said factors, such as pay, the sometimes overwhelming time commitment, and the lack of flexibility to change lesson plans to better suit students, are some of the challenges teachers face each school year. He said that over his 30 years of teaching, no one technique helped him and other teachers in a drastic way, so he hopes this new program is simple.

"Freeing up some time, showing us some respect, understanding that we should be the trusted experts in the classroom and valuing our input and opinions, I think, would be the most useful," Tabor said.