Northern Michigan University will participate in the 2026 Education Preparation Provider Collaborative, a new two-year statewide initiative designed to improve teacher preparation recruitment, retention and quality, and to form a strong foundation to help teacher preparation programs be responsive to the evolving needs of today's students. NMU is one of only five Michigan universities selected as educator preparation programs for the collaborative.
The Michigan Educator Workforce Initiative (MEWI), in partnership with edPrep Partners and 2Revolutions, launched the collaborative this morning. Other universities selected to participate in addition to NMU are Central, Eastern, Michigan State and Western. Each is fully supported through project funding and partner contributions, receiving $100,000 per institution to underwrite improvement efforts.
“NMU chose to be part of the EPP Collaborative so we could partner with the 30 community and tribal colleges in Michigan to design clearly articulated pathways for initial teacher licensure in both early childhood and elementary education,” said Joe Lubig of NMU's School of Education, Leadership and Public Service, principal investigator and author of the grant.
“A huge part of our effort will be to develop the most cost-efficient pathway around a high-quality curriculum that immerses developing educators in clinical experiences that match with their learning theory coursework. The community and tribal college faculty that develop teacher candidates that transfer to our four-year institutions are key to the success in assuring that every student has an empathetic and well-practiced teacher ready to enter the profession.”
According to a press release issued by the coordinating entities, launching the collaborative with five state EPPs will introduce scalable, high-quality models for educator preparation by establishing stronger, data-informed partnerships between educator preparation programs and P-12 districts to strengthen the state's talent pipeline. The two-year process among EPPs, P-12 districts and national partners will emphasize access and affordability, candidate retention and high-quality clinical pre-service experiences.
“Flexible pathways—those that are more affordable and leverage the assets of community colleges—are not just good for the profession and for all Michiganders, but they're especially helpful for rural communities like the Upper Peninsula,” said Christi Edge, NMU associate dean and director for teacher education. “Northern has a proud tradition of serving some of the most remote parts of the state, and we know that schools are continuing to adapt to the needs of students, so we must adapt as well.
“Without pathway flexibility, we limit the opportunity to become a teacher to those who are able to afford and travel to a traditional four-year university. If we want to increase the diversity of and access to the teaching profession, we need to eliminate as many barriers as possible. We're excited to learn from and with the MEWI team, partners and our fellow universities, and to seek innovative approaches together.”
Leading this initiative, MEWI will bring together leaders and organizations to invest resources and expand this platform to ensure EPPs can share professional practices through positive results and ongoing successes.
“Transforming education requires innovation from the very first moment a teacher begins training,” stated Becca Tisdale, partner and vice president of programs for MEWI, in the press release. “This collaborative was designed to drive partnerships that convene universities, districts and national experts to implement systemic improvements. We are confident this model will not only elevate the five participating institutions, but provide an example for high-quality educator preparation nationwide.”
The five participating EPPs will receive numerous benefits through the collaborative. Access to high-touch technical assistance through individualized coaching, project management support and on-site or virtual guidance will assist them in being recognized as leaders in shaping the future of teacher preparation in Michigan while building strong district partnerships that align pathways with workforce needs.
Success for the two-year collaborative will be measured according to the edPrep Partners Performance Framework, a structured approach to assessing quality across four critical performance areas: program leadership and continuous improvement; candidate preparation and development; teacher educator practices; and district and program partnerships. This framework ensures that efforts and improvements made throughout the process are not temporary, but embedded into the EPP systems for sustainable, long-term results that benefit future educators and their students.
“This framework gives universities and districts a clear, shared roadmap for strengthening how we prepare new teachers,” said Calvin J. Stocker, CEO at EdPrep Partners. “We're not interested in short-term fixes. We're working alongside programs to build the systems, habits, and partnerships that make high-quality preparation the norm—not the exception. When programs consistently produce well-prepared educators, P-12 students and communities feel the impact for years to come.”
The launch of the 2026 EPP Collaborative marks the start of a multi-year journey to fundamentally transform how Michigan prepares its teachers.
“Collectively, these five universities provide Michigan public schools with nearly 40% - over 1,000 - new teachers each year,” said Jack Elsey, founding partner and CEO of MEWI, in the release. “We're excited to work with each of them to improve the state's educator workforce for years to come.”
For more information, visit www.miedworkforce.org.
NMU Media Contact: Joe Lubig, 906-227-6039 or jlubig@nmu.edu