The 2026-27 Teach Plus Policy Fellows Will Advocate for Automatic Course Enrollment, Stronger School Systems and Educator Support, and Solutions to Close Foundational Learning Gaps
QUICK FACTS
Who: 24 pre-K through 12th-grade educators
Where: Metro Detroit, West Michigan, Central Michigan, Southwest Michigan, and Northern Michigan/Upper Peninsula
Focus Areas: Automatic enrollment and financial incentives; building the systems; equipping the teacher workforce; and closing foundational and readiness gaps
Mission: Close Michigan’s opportunity gaps in access to postsecondary-focused courses including Early Middle College, Dual Enrollment, AP, IB, and CTE
LANSING, MI, September 10, 2026—Teach Plus Michigan has named 24 pre-K through 12th-grade teacher leaders to its 2026-27 Policy Fellowship. Over the next year, these educators will work directly with the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) and state policymakers to advocate for automatic advanced course enrollment, stronger school systems and educator support, and solutions that close Michigan’s foundational learning gaps.
Selection into the Fellowship cohort was highly competitive. Fellows join a well-established regional network that includes a state Teacher of the Year, the first charter school teacher to be named state regional Teacher of the Year, and a district superintendent.
This year’s cohort includes several teachers with stand-out credentials, including a Fellow whose literacy legislation advocacy was featured in statewide media outlets and a Region 7 Teacher of the Year.
Teach Plus trains Policy Fellows in policy analysis, research, advocacy, and communications, including storytelling and op-ed writing, so rigorous data and firsthand classroom experience from educators reach decision makers and the public directly.
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Policy focus areas:
- Automatic Enrollment & Financial Incentives: Michigan districts set their own criteria for advanced coursework, disproportionately excluding students of color, low-income students, and students with disabilities. Modeled on policies in Washington and North Carolina, Fellows will advocate for statewide automatic enrollment with a family opt-out, paired with state funding to help districts launch and sustain these programs.
- Building the Systems: Michigan has one of the largest student-to-counselor ratios in the nation, leaving many students unaware of options like dual enrollment or CTE before high school. Fellows will call for statewide data dashboards, priority counselor placements in high-need districts, and earlier advising starting in the middle grades.
- Equipping the Educator Workforce: Expanding advanced coursework requires more teachers equipped to teach a wide variety of those courses. Fellows will champion the professional development, training, and credentialing support teachers need to meet the growing demand.
- Readiness Gaps: Strong literacy, numeracy, and background knowledge are essential for every student to succeed academically and beyond, yet nearly three-quarters of Michigan high schoolers aren’t prepared for college coursework. Fellows will push to strengthen literacy and numeracy support for students who need it most.
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Perspectives from Teach Plus leadership and educators:
“When I talk with students across Michigan about their future, the answer is almost always the same: they want financial security and work they actually like, however they define that for themselves. Our mission is to make sure every student has a real path to get there, not just the students lucky enough to attend a school where the right courses already exist. That’s the work these 24 teacher leaders are taking on this year: closing Michigan’s gaps to make sure every student is ready and can access advanced coursework, turning aspiration into real opportunity.”—Ben Locke, Teach Plus Michigan Executive Director
“I want to help create policies that make postsecondary opportunities more accessible to every student, not just the students who already know how to navigate the system. As a classroom teacher, I see how much potential my students have, and I want to remove barriers and make meaningful college and career opportunities available to every Michigan student.”—Marielle Sirk, 2026-27 Teach Plus Michigan Policy Fellow and science teacher at Sault Area High School and Career Center, Sault Ste. Marie
“Last year, I learned so much about educational policy as a Teach Plus Michigan Policy Fellow. I wrote in a published op-ed that I see firsthand how our systems have the potential to support students to achieve their goals. As a Senior Policy Fellow this year, I’m excited to serve as a leader for this new cohort and continue to advocate for systems that help all of our students succeed.”—Michelle Vanhala, 2026-27 Teach Plus Michigan Senior Policy Fellow and science teacher, advisor, and instructional coach at Washtenaw Technical Middle College, Ann Arbor
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Meet the Fellows:
Metro Detroit & Southeast Michigan
Adrean Bedard, ACE High School (Rochester Hills)
Danielle Cover, Ferndale Lower and Upper Elementary Schools (Oak Park)
Sebastian Cuyjet, Senior Policy Fellow, Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (Detroit)
Caylan Healy, The International Academy Okma Campus (Bloomfield Hills)
Sherline Joachim, Paul Robeson Malcolm X Academy (Detroit)
Alexandria Matthews, Hamilton Elementary-Middle School (Detroit)
Anthony Stetzenmeyer, Belleville High School (Belleville)
Megan Tyler, Starkweather Academy (Plymouth)
Michelle Vanhala, Senior Policy Fellow, Washtenaw Technical Middle College (Ann Arbor)
Vontrice Watson, Pershing High School (Detroit)
Dan Wolford, Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School (Detroit)
Destiny Yates, The School at Marygrove Elementary (Detroit)
Chad Zwolinski, Senior Policy Fellow, Adlai Stevenson High School (Utica)
West Michigan & Grand Rapids Area
Ben Hoff, Grand Rapids Public Museum High School (Grand Rapids)
Alexa Lalejini, Rockford High School (Rockford)
Elizabeth McKellar, CA Frost Environmental Science Academy Elementary (Grand Rapids)
Danielle Shaw, Hamilton Elementary School (Kentwood)
Central & East-Central Michigan
Josefina Alfeus, Thompson Middle School (Saginaw)
Stacey Cadogan, Post Oak Academy (Lansing)
April Geyer, Oasis Alternative Education and Mount Pleasant Community Education (Mount Pleasant)
Southwest & Southern Michigan
Alyssa Henneman, Senior Policy Fellow, Centreville Elementary School (Centreville)
James Johnson, Loy Norrix High School (Kalamazoo)
Deanna Roland, Prairie Ridge Elementary School (Kalamazoo)
Northern Michigan & Upper Peninsula
Marielle Sirk, Sault Area High School and Career Center (Sault Ste. Marie)
ABOUT TEACH PLUS
The mission of Teach Plus is to empower excellent, experienced, and diverse teachers to take leadership over key policy and practice issues that affect their students’ success. In pursuing our mission, Teach Plus is guided by our Student Opportunity Mandate: To act boldly and create the conditions where every student can imagine their future—and experience an education that delivers the opportunity to realize it. Since 2009, Teach Plus has developed thousands of teacher leaders across the country to exercise their leadership in shaping education policy and improving teaching and learning for students. teachplus.org/mi
