Michigan Teacher Licensure, Retention, and Effectiveness During the COVID-19 Pandemic

August 06, 2025 | By Matthew Guzman, Tara Kilbride, Salem Rogers, Katharine O. Strunk

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan temporarily adjusted teacher licensure and student teaching requirements to avoid staffing shortages. This study explores how those changes affected teacher supply, diversity, retention, and effectiveness. While the overall number of new teachers was maintained, the 2020–21 cohort was more diverse, even among certification types not impacted by the policy. Teachers with temporary certificates performed similarly to those with standard ones, though modified student teaching experiences may have more strongly affected special education teachers.