Written by Tanya Terry
Michigan schools faced nearly 2,500 teacher vacancies in the 2023–2024 school year, the highest rate in over a decade.
Caycee Sledge, chief program officer for the Golden Apple Foundation in Michigan, recently spoke with the Courier about the teacher shortage in Michigan and the gap it creates for students who are being underserved.
Sledge said “It’s a shocking number that so many teacher positions go unfilled. And what that usually means is that we have students who are being taught by someone who is not certified to teach, or not certified in that area. And, there’s a lot of research that shows the impact that can have on a child’s trajectory…That’s part of the Scholars Program of why we want to get more teachers in the pipeline to teach in our Michigan schools.”
Additionally, according to the latest available U.S. Census Bureau data, Flint’s poverty rate is significantly higher than the national average, with recent estimates placing it at roughly 38.8% in 2019, compared to the national rate of around 13.6% at the time.
The EdTrust-Midwest reported that districts with the highest rates of poverty employ 13.5% of Michigan teachers but account for 38% of those with emergency credentials. This information was published in a report released in January 2025, based on data from the 2022-23 school year.
Sledge stated: “A district would have to use an emergency credential when they can’t find someone who is certified in the area – the content, the grade level- in the area that they need an instructor for. So, they may have to put somebody in with an emergency credential while they’re working towards those degrees or certifications. That means they’re teaching, they’re in front of students, but they don’t have the training and the expertise in that content area. Across the state and nationally, the schools where students are most in need – our higher poverty school districts and school areas, where students need those additional supports, that’s where we are seeing the highest teacher shortages.
“We’re also seeing those in the content areas, like ELA, science, mathematics and special education, as well. So, those areas where students need specific training and support, we don’t have the credentialed students to support students in those high need areas.”
Golden Apple is working to change that by equipping future educators with the tools, mentorship and real-world experience they need to thrive in classrooms.
The Scholars Program is a teacher preparation and tuition assistance program that is geared toward high school seniors and freshman and sophomores in college with the goal of placing effective teachers in Michigan schools-of-need immediately upon graduation
94% of Golden Apple graduates enter the workforce as teachers, compared to the national average of 89%. 80% of Golden Apple graduates return to teach in their home communities. Additionally, 86% of the program’s scholars stay in the classroom for more than three years, surpassing state and national averages.
Benefits of the program to participants include:
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Up to $15,000 in paid summer professional development at Scholar Institute across the collective undergraduate experience including:
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Hands-on instruction from outstanding Michigan teachers
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Experience teaching and leading in your community
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Academic and social-emotional support
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Job placement assistance
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Mentoring from exceptional teaching faculty
Sledge told the Courier the application process for the program is simple and consists of the following steps:
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Complete the online application including personal statements
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Upload Official/Unofficial Transcripts
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Submit Standardized Test Scores (ACT or SAT)*
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NOTE: Standardized test scores are optional and not required for acceptance into Golden Apple Scholars in Michigan. The review committee will closely review the strength of course selection, GPA, personal statements and overall involvement of applicants.
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Participate in prospective Scholar Interviews
Applications for the Golden Apple Scholars Program are available at goldenapple.org/scholars-michigan
The Scholars program is accepting applications until April 1.
