Jocelyn Benson is Michigan’s next governor. Here’s what education will look like in her administration.
Did you know search engines like Google are changing the way you see news? Keep Chalkbeat’s valuable education coverage at the top of your feeds by clicking here and checking the box next to our name. Michigan voters have elected a new governor, Jocelyn Benson, who promises to transform education and guarantee that when students graduate from the public school system, they are college and career ready. The Associated Press called the race between Benson and U.S. Rep. John James at 1:45 a.m. The results show Benson winning with 55% of the vote. Benson, the daughter of special education teachers, has a plan for addressing the state’s current literacy crisis by taking steps similar to what the state already has been doing: Investing in curriculum and training for teachers based on the science of reading , a longstanding body of research about how children learn to read. Her education plan says she would also “enable statewide tracking of literacy rates and improvements.” Benson would also ensure first-year teachers receive starting salaries of $60,000 a year minimum. Currently, the average in Michigan is around $41,000 annually. What she calls her “Michigan Education Guarantee,” which she touted as she campaigned, would be
