Despite efforts to increase the time students spend in school in Michigan, kids are getting less face time than ever with teachers, the state's top education official warns.

State Superintendent Michael Rice, who retires in October, is sounding the alarm over a problem he says needs to be fixed if Michigan is to improve its dismal national test scores.

The state has gradually increased instruction days from 165 to 180 in an effort to keep kids in class longer, especially after the pandemic left lasting challenges over attendance and learning loss.

But Rice is taking aim at how instructional time is counted in Michigan and what can be included, claiming kids could be getting as little as 149 days of in-person learning under current rules.

That's because changes approved by state lawmake

See Full Page