The Michigan Education Guarantee (MEG) promises every Michigan student will graduate with skills needed for life and work success.
MEG focuses on ten essential skills - from academics and career preparation to digital literacy and financial knowledge. Students connect learning to real careers through hands-on projects, internships, and various programs, making education more meaningful and helping them discover their strengths.
When education is connected to jobs, everyone benefits.
Students find fulfilling work, businesses gain skilled employees, and communities grow stronger. MEG aligns to a reciprocal accountability system where everyone - schools, families, businesses, and government - has both responsibilities and support. This interconnected approach to accountability builds a system that truly works for every student and creates the workforce Michigan's future demands.
The MEG Playbook represents just the start of important conversations and planning.
Like building a strong house that lasts generations, the MEG Playbook lays the foundation and frames the shell. The MEG will be well-built through transparent and inclusive stakeholder engagement as well as the commitment to hold intellectual tension when necessary.
1. Adequate and Equitable Funding: Investing in Student Needs
To become a top-10 performing state, Michigan must commit to being a top state in how it invests in students. This means two things:
Spending Enough on the Right Practices: Adequate funding goes beyond simply increasing overall spending. It requires strategically investing in the best-designed practices to ensure every student is supported, acknowledging that Michigan's current spending is only middle-of-the-road nationally.
Funding Based on Student Needs: Equitable funding is student-centered, not district-centered. It requires a needs-based distribution model that directs resources where they are most needed. For example, implementing a weighted funding formula for students with special education needs and ensuring committed state funding for programs like dual enrollment and Career and Technical Education (CTE) are crucial steps.
2. MEG Competencies & Skills
Note: These skills and competencies reflect our current draft, informed by leading state and national frameworks. Launch Michigan is convening a broad stakeholder workgroup to refine and validate this section, and revisions will continue as we gather feedback across the state.
Core Skills:
Communication
Collaboration and teamwork
Leadership
Problem-solving and creative thinking
Perseverance and adaptability
Executive function
Innovation
Curiosity
Self-regulation
Stress management
Resilience
Growth mindset
Metacognition
Mindfulness
Digital and Data Literacy, Technology, and Computer Science:
Privacy and security
Data analysis, interpretation, and communication (including AI)
Financial Acumen and Entrepreneurial Skills
Civic Engagement and Leadership:
Global and cultural competence
Environmental stewardship
Interpersonal skills
3. Reciprocal Accountability
Statewide reciprocal accountability means everyone in Michigan's education system shares responsibility for student success - from state government to educators, families, and businesses. The system aligns with MEG competencies and metrics at each level. This approach connects state standards to classroom teaching while accurately measuring what works.
