Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive order to create a second state education department that will focus on facilitating access to programs like childcare, after-school activities, and affordable education for adults.
The executive order (pdf) on Wednesday brings about a restructuring of the Michigan Department of Education and creates a fresh agency focused solely on the concept of “lifelong education.”
Known as the Michigan Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement, and Potential (MiLEAP), the recently established entity will play an expanded role in the education of students from pre-K to their early 20s.
“For too long, we have thought of education as K-12, but we know that’s not good enough. I’m establishing MiLEAP today because we need to get every kid started early, in pre-K, so they succeed in kindergarten, have paths after graduation to get higher education tuition-free, and forge strong partnerships with our employers so they can get a good-paying, high-skill, and in-demand job,” Ms. Whitmer said in a statement….