The new year brings opportunities to address the education crisis and help struggling students in Michigan. Reversing the downward trend in achievement is paramount, and that can be done through policies that raise accountability standards and increase access to diverse educational options.

Literacy is the place to begin the discussion about education and accountability. In spring 2025, Michigan’s third grade students scored their lowest performance on the English language arts portion of the M-STEP assessments since the test was first administered in 2015. Fewer than 40% of Michigan’s third graders scored proficient or higher. Fourth graders rank 44th in the nation for reading.

A crisis of this magnitude means we must hold districts and educators accountable for student achievement. Michigan needs bold action. Mississippi and Florida made dramatic achievement gains after implementing new policies and accountability standards for literacy. Michigan recently enacted new literacy laws, but they lack the key provision of Mississippi and Florida’s literacy laws: a requirement that third grade students be proficient in reading before advancing to fourth grade. Students who do not meet this basic standard will fall further behind.

The state must hold teachers and administrators to rigorous performance standards. Last year, 98% of Michigan’s public school teachers and administrators were rated as “effective.” An evaluation system that awards nearly all school staff the highest score possible – while most students lack basic proficiencies – is broken. The Mackinac Center is fighting for policies that require evaluations to place greater emphasis on student achievement and tie personnel decisions to job performance.

Policymakers should also give students greater access to schools and programs that work best for them. They can do this by improving open enrollment policies, enabling increased participation in Schools of Choice. They can make it easier for public schools to offer innovative programming that supports students’ diverse interests by removing seat time requirements and simplifying student accounting policies. And they can fix regulatory barriers, such as building codes and zoning, that stand in the way of microschools and alternative education models.

The Mackinac Center supports holding schools accountable for student achievement and empowering parents to pursue the type of education that works best for their children. The future success of Michigan’s students depends on it.