When we covered Michigan's 2024 literacy and dyslexia laws in February, the story was a long fuse: screening and curriculum mandates arriving in 2027–28, and a lot of buildout between now and then. This summer, Michigan added the third leg of the stool — the teachers. On July 21, Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed Public Act 26 of 2026, a law ensuring that by the start of the 2031–32 school year, every certified teacher in grades K–5 who provides, supports, or oversees reading or language arts instruction completes state-funded professional learning in the Science of Reading — explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension. The state is backing the mandate with an additional $75 million for training. "Literacy is a marathon, it's not a miracle," Whitmer said — an unusually honest framing for a bill signing.
What does Public Act 26 actually require?
Three things, on a schedule. First, the training mandate itself: local districts, intermediate school districts, and charter schools must ensure their K–5 reading and language arts educators complete approved professional learning by 2031–32. Second, a supply of approved training: the Michigan Department of Education must approve at least two professional learning providers within 90 days of the law taking effect, and annually after that. LETRS — the intensive training Michigan has funded for five years — already meets the criteria and continues as an approved option; MDE opened a public request for submissions in late August to identify additional providers, with applications due September 9. Third, a plan: MDE must work with statewide associations, literacy experts, and practitioners to produce a statewide implementation plan within 90 days, with an implementation team being assembled now. "To improve student literacy achievement, we must give teachers the professional learning they need to provide evidence-based instruction to children," said State Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko, who has named literacy the department's top priority.
How does this fit the 2024 laws?
Neatly — and that's the point. The 2024 laws handle what schools use (approved Tier 1 curricula, screening and progress-monitoring tools) and who gets checked (annual K–3 screening starting 2027–28). Public Act 26 handles what teachers know. At the August 11 State Board of Education meeting, MDE staff laid out where the materials side stands: review committees finished initial evaluations in June, updated provider lists posted in July, vendors have until September 30 to submit remaining materials, and final vendor updates arrive in December. Put the timelines together and Michigan's theory of change is visible: approved materials by 2027, screening from 2027–28, and a fully retrained elementary teaching force by 2031. It mirrors what states like Mississippi did over a decade — and what New York is now proposing for its teacher-preparation programs, where a recent state review found half of programs falling short on reading instruction. Michigan is legislating for teachers already in classrooms, which is harder and matters more.
Is five years too long to wait?
It's both realistic and costly. Realistic, because serious training takes real time — LETRS famously demands one to two years per cohort, and Michigan has tens of thousands of elementary educators. Costly, because a child who starts kindergarten this month will be in middle school when the deadline lands. That's the gap between policy time and childhood time, and it's where our standing advice comes in: the law sets a floor and a deadline, not a starting gun districts must wait for. Training money is flowing now. Districts that enroll teachers this year — as many already have — deliver the benefit five years early. As we found reporting on the practice gap, training alone doesn't transform classrooms without coaching and aligned materials — but Michigan is unusually well positioned on that score, since the same department is standing up the approved-curriculum lists at the same time.
What should Michigan families and teachers do now?
- Parents: ask two questions this fall. "Has my child's teacher completed science-of-reading training, or when is it scheduled?" and "Which approved curriculum and screener will our school adopt?" Districts making choices ahead of deadlines deserve encouragement; districts with no plan deserve the question on record.
- Teachers: get in an early cohort. The training is state-funded and the provider list is expanding. Our free training guide covers additional no-cost options while you wait.
- Don't let training substitute for your child's services. If your child shows signs of dyslexia today, the evaluation path is open today — 2031 has nothing to do with it (the toolkit).
- Watch the December vendor list. Which curricula and screeners make Michigan's final cut will shape classrooms statewide for a decade. We'll cover it when it lands.
What could go wrong?
- Checkbox training. If districts choose the thinnest approved option and call it done, knowledge won't reach instruction. The implementation plan's coaching provisions are the thing to watch.
- Leaky mandate edges. The law covers K–5 certified educators in reading roles — but reading difficulties don't end in fifth grade, and interventionists, paraprofessionals, and secondary teachers matter too.
- Provider dilution. "At least two providers, annually approved" invites a widening menu. Rigor of the approval criteria will decide whether the menu stays evidence-based.
- Waiting culture. A 2031 deadline can read as permission to defer. The families of this year's kindergartners are the counterargument.
Frequently asked questions
What is Public Act 26 of 2026? Michigan's Science of Reading training law, signed July 21, 2026. It requires all K–5 certified educators who teach, support, or oversee reading and language arts to complete approved, state-funded science-of-reading professional learning by the start of the 2031–32 school year, and requires MDE to approve at least two training providers annually.
Does the law change anything for my child with dyslexia right now? Not directly — evaluation and service rights under IDEA and Michigan's existing laws are unchanged and available today. Indirectly, it means your child's future teachers are progressively likelier to be trained in the kind of instruction dyslexic students need.
Is LETRS the only approved training? No. LETRS continues as one approved provider, and MDE is required to approve at least two providers annually, with a public submission process (the first round closed September 9, 2026) adding more. The approved list will be maintained by MDE.
Source: "Michigan Moves Toward Common Science of Reading Training for K-5 Teachers" — Michigan Dept. of Education, Aug 26, 2026 · "State Board Hears Update on Continued Progress to Address Literacy and Dyslexia" — Michigan Dept. of Education, Aug 11, 2026 · "Monthly Education Update" — George W. Bush Institute, Aug 26, 2026