Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer has a new solution for the state’s educational woes. As her executive order establishing the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential recognizes, “Michigan has fallen behind other states and countries when it comes to student achievement and attainment.” From the Detroit News:
The new department will lead statewide efforts to ensure that all young children “enter kindergarten with the tools and ability to succeed in school” and that “every Michigander has the skill certificate or degree they need to prosper,” according to an executive order the governor signed Tuesday.
The plan marks a significant shift in direction for state government as the Michigan Department of Education has traditionally been the lead agency on education-related policies and programs.
The new department will primarily be composed of existing programs, which raises the question of why Whitmer thinks this reorganization will have any meaningful impact on student outcomes. Supporters of the plan argue that the new department will help unify educational efforts across a Michigander’s lifetime, but managing pre-K and adult education under one department and the K–12 public-school system under another is more likely to impede coordination.
The change is merely the most recent example of Whitmer trying to look like she’s hard at work for Michigan residents while not doing much of substance. As important as it is to fix Michigan’s educational system, one thing is clear: Creating another level of bureaucracy is not suddenly going to help children learn to read.