Detroit Public Schools and Michigan State University partner to train 100 to 200 special education teachers

Detroit Public Schools Community District and Michigan State University started a multiyear program to train current district teachers as special education teachers focused on autism spectrum disorders.

The program will offer tuition support, professional development and competitive compensation in exchange for a six-year teaching commitment in the district. District officials said the partnership will produce 100 to 200 certified special education teachers during the agreement.

The first cohort began this fall. Teachers will take graduate-level coursework through the MSU College of Education, including classes such as “Autism Spectrum Disorders: Characteristics and Implications” and “Applied Behavior Analysis for Teachers.”

Participants will work with MSU faculty and doctoral students who specialize in autism spectrum disorders and applied behavior analysis. The training will let teachers stay in their classrooms while completing six to nine hours of specialized instruction each week for every three-credit course.

Districts across the country face a shortage of special education teachers. A national survey by the Institute of Education Services found that vacancies in special education are nearly double those in other teaching fields.

District leaders said the need has grown as diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders have increased. Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 in 31 children has been diagnosed on the spectrum, up from 1 in 36. A 2024 study by JAMA Network Open found that autism diagnoses among adults and children rose by 175% over the past decade.

Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said the district has already taken steps to recruit and retain special education teachers, including offering $15,000 bonuses to staff in that area.

“Because ASD endorsements are so rare in Michigan and not possible to obtain through alternative certification pathways, this innovative partnership with Michigan State University takes all of these efforts to the next step and provides real value to current DPSCD teachers in exchange for their commitment to keep teaching with DPSCD in a hard-to-staff area,” Vitti said in a statement.

Jerlando F.L. Jackson, dean of the MSU College of Education, said the program is meant to give Detroit educators and students more support.

“Together, we imagined possibilities. Together, we will see the transformative impact in Detroit schools as students learn from high-quality, innovative Spartan educators,” Jackson said in a statement.

The district said the partnership grew out of an agreement with the Detroit Federation of Teachers. It also will help school social workers by training instructors to assist with student assessments.