What if the choice between college and the skilled trades is a false one? In this episode, Venessa Keesler sits down with Lee Graham of the Operating Engineers 324 and Brandy Johnson of the Michigan Community College Association to explore how Michigan is connecting registered apprenticeships, community colleges, and career pathways. Together, they discuss a groundbreaking initiative that awards college credit for apprenticeship learning, helping workers earn degrees faster, reduce barriers to advancement, and build stronger pathways from high school to high-demand careers.Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Michigan Achievement Scholarship – Community College Guarantee

The Community College Guarantee helps eligible recent high school graduates earn a degree or certificate at a community college or Tribal college. The scholarship covers in-district tuition and mandatory fees, with out-of-district students receiving an award up to the in-district rate. Students must begin enrollment within 15 months of high school graduation and may receive the scholarship for up to three years.
Learn more about the Community College Guarantee

Michigan Reconnect

Michigan Reconnect provides a tuition-free pathway to an associate degree or skills certificate for eligible Michigan adults. The last-dollar scholarship covers in-district tuition, mandatory fees and contact hours at a Michigan community college or Tribal college.

Learn more about Michigan Reconnect

Michigan College Credit for Apprenticeships Program (MI-CCAP)

MI-CCAP connects registered apprenticeship training with college credit, helping apprentices and journey workers receive credit for college-level learning they have already completed and creating more efficient pathways toward a college degree. The initiative brings together Michigan community colleges and Tribal colleges, registered apprenticeship programs, labor partners, the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, and the American Council on Education (ACE), a national higher education association.

Learn more about MI-CCAP

Michigan continues to face significant educator workforce challenges, including teacher shortages, retention pressures, and increasing student needs. In this episode of the Launch Michigan Podcast, Dr. Venessa Keesler is joined by Jack Elsey, founder and CEO of the Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative (MEWI), and Lawrence Hood, superintendent of Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS), to explore how strategic staffing and team-based teaching models are helping schools rethink the educator workforce. Drawing on DAAS's implementation experience and MEWI's partnership with Arizona State University's Next Education Workforce initiative, the conversation highlights how collaborative educator teams can expand the reach of excellent teaching, reduce educator burnout, strengthen retention, provide better support for new teachers, and improve outcomes for students. The guests also discuss early evidence from Michigan schools showing increased teacher satisfaction, stronger student outcomes, and growing interest in scaling these innovative staffing models across the state.

Resources

• Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative (MEWI)
• Detroit Academy of Arts and Sciences (DAAS)

Teachers are one of the most important factors influencing student success, yet Michigan continues to face significant challenges recruiting and retaining the educators its students need.

In this episode, Launch Michigan President and CEO Dr. Venessa Keesler is joined by Dr. Madeline Mavrogordato, Director of the Education Policy Innovation Collaborative (EPIC) at Michigan State University, and Dr. Jason Burns, EPIC Research Specialist, to explore the current state of Michigan's educator workforce. Together, they examine the teacher pipeline, rising turnover rates, educator retention challenges, and the growing impact of teacher shortages across the state.

The conversation also takes a deep dive into educator compensation, including Michigan's national rankings for teacher pay, changes to benefits and retirement systems, public opinion on teacher salaries, and what research says about the connection between investing in educators and improving student outcomes. The guests discuss why compensation, working conditions, leadership, and professional growth opportunities all play a critical role in building a strong and sustainable educator workforce.

If Michigan wants to strengthen student outcomes, grow its economy, and ensure every child has access to high-quality educators, what investments should come next? Tune in for a data-driven conversation about the policies and priorities shaping the future of teaching in Michigan.

Read More

• Teacher Compensation in Michigan: Recent Trends and Public Opinion, 2026
• STRONG Educators, Stronger Students
• Strengthening the Educator Pipeline

In this episode, Launch Michigan President & CEO Venessa Keesler, Ph.D. explores the research behind the proposed Michigan Education Guarantee (MEG), a future-focused graduation standard designed to ensure every Michigan student graduates ready for work, college, and life. The discussion covers student achievement, workforce readiness, engagement, mastery learning, accountability, and education funding.

Resources and References

• Launch Michigan K-12 Dashboard
• MEG White Paper
• MEG Information
• MI School Data
• NAEP Nation's Report Card
• Lumina Foundation
• Consumer Affairs Education Rankings
• EdTrust Midwest State of Michigan Education
• YouScience Post-Graduation Readiness Report
• Walton Family Foundation Gallup Voices of Gen Z
• Gen Z & Non-College Pathways Study
• Education Reimagined
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce New Hire Readiness Report
• America Succeeds Durable Skills Framework
• Winget & Persky (Mastery Learning)
• Duke et al. (Project-Based Learning)
• Turcotte et al. (2022)
• Buddin & Croft (2014)
• Plunk & Tate (2014)
• Virginia Seat-Time Flexibility
• Elmore, Reciprocal Accountability
• EPIC K-12 Finance Report
• NEA Teacher Pay Rankings
• Carnegie Foundation
• Education Week Interview with Timothy Knowles

Connect with Launch Michigan

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.launchmichigan.org

What should high school prepare students for—and is a diploma alone enough?

In this episode of the Launch Michigan Podcast, President and CEO Venessa Keesler sits down with Dr. Nikolai Vitti, Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), to discuss the district’s ambitious high school redesign effort. Together, they explore why student engagement often declines in high school, how traditional graduation requirements can limit opportunities for career exploration, and what schools can do to ensure students graduate with both a diploma and a direction.

Dr. Vitti shares DPSCD’s vision for creating personalized pathways that connect students to college, careers, the arts, and industry-recognized credentials. The conversation also examines the role of counseling, internships, dual enrollment, and community partnerships in helping students discover their interests and build meaningful plans for life after high school.

Whether you're an educator, policymaker, employer, parent, or student, this discussion offers a practical look at how Michigan can redesign the high school experience to better prepare young people for the future.

In this episode, we explore what the research says about early literacy, the critical importance of strong instruction in kindergarten through second grade, and why waiting until third grade is often too late. We discuss the connection between decoding, language comprehension, dyslexia, and developmental language disorder, and examine how assessment systems can help schools identify not only student needs but also gaps in curriculum and instruction.

Learn More

Michigan's Multi-Tiered System of Supports for Early Reading (MiREAD)
https://www.gomaisa.org/projects/miread/

Starting this summer, join us for explorations of the education topics that matter in Michigan.