Detroit Public Schools13

Detroit Land BankDetroit Public Schools

Detroit Educators To Get Half Off Houses Auctioned Through Land Bank

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan is getting ready this morning to announce a major effort to lure teachers and other school employees to the city of Detroit: Offering them half-priced homes. According to a press release that’s expected to be released at an event this morning, the mayor plans to announce that all Detroit school employees — whether they work for district, charter or parochial schools — will now get a 50 percent discount on houses auctioned through the Detroit Land Bank Authority. Tha...

DetroitDetroit Public Schoolseducation

No Music, No Art, No Gym, Overcrowded Classrooms And Teacher Shortages: The Journey Of Detroit's New Superintendent Starts Here

Detroit schools have been buzzing these last two weeks with what feels like a fresh start. A new superintendent —  Nikolai Vitti — has landed in the city and started his job as the first new leader of what is officially a new district. He uses words like “transformation” and “vision” and “hope” to describe a future when Detroit schools will begin to address the intensive challenges that have contributed to some of the lowest test scores in the nation. He sees Detroit becoming “a mecca of imp...

Detroit Public SchoolsDr. Nikolai VittiFirst Person

OPINION: New DPS Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti Deserves Broad-Based Support

As a former Western High School teacher I’ve watched the selection process of the new superintendent from afar and, at times, chuckled to myself.  I’ve read the stories about the candidacy of Alycia Merriweather and her supporters — all well deserved. I thought all of that ended in March when she was not included in the final pool of candidates, but now in the post “What Detroiters Say New Schools Superintendent Nicolai Vitti Should Tackle First” is quick to rehash the views of a high school a...

DetroitDetroit Public SchoolsDetroit schools

25 Detroit Schools Could Be Shut Down In June, 38 Total In Michigan

The state of Michigan Friday put 38 struggling schools on notice. After years of rock-bottom test scores and disappointing results, the schools were informed that they’re in serious danger of having to shut their doors forever in June. “Because we want all kids to have a good life after high school, our office is responsible for taking action when schools have been chronically failing for several years,” state School Reform Officer Natasha Baker said in a statement. A statement from Baker’...

Detroit Public SchoolsDFTDPS

Detroit's Public Schools, Teachers Union Reach Tentative Contract Agreement

Details are sparse as they’ll be revealed to Detroit Federation of Teachers members later this week, but a tentative agreement has been reached between the new district that controls Detroit’s public schools and the 2,900 or so unionized teachers and staff who work there. Any deal not only must be approved by both parties, but also the Financial Review Commission overseeing the finances of the district. The DFT has called a special meeting of membership for after the first day of school Tuesda...

ChalkbeatDetroit Public SchoolsDetroit schools

Most Buildings Repaired, But School Starts With As Many As 200 Teaching Jobs Unfilled In New Detroit Public District

Eight months after hundreds of Detroit teachers made national headlines by calling in sick to draw attention to deplorable conditions like rodents and buckling floors in public schools, city officials today announced that they’ve spent $2.5 million to get most city schools into tip-top shape ahead of the start of classes next week. At a press conference at the elite Bates Academy in northwest Detroit, Mayor Mike Duggan and school officials said that all but eight of the 94 school buildings in...

Detroit Public SchoolsDetroit SchoolMichigan Schools

More Than 100 Michigan Schools To Be Closed Based On Test Scores They Were Told Wouldn’t Count

More than 100 low-scoring Michigan schools — including dozens in Detroit — will start classes next month likely doomed to close in June. In a move that is bound to shock parents and educators across the state, the School Reform Office is moving ahead with an aggressive plan to close every school in the state that posted rock-bottom test scores for the last three years — even though Michigan’s education department promised schools that last year’s test scores wouldn’t be held against them. Cl...

Books for kidsDetroit Public SchoolsDetroit schools

Detroit Could Get Another First: Little Free Libraries In Every School In A District

Many of us carry our own little library with us. It’s called a Nook or a Kindle or one of the other e-readers. Mine’s a Nook. When I open it up sayings appear. One of them is a quote from Cicero, “A room without a book is like a body without a soul.” Reading books brings whole new worlds to life and sets the stage for future success. Unfortunately, the reading statistics for many kids in Detroit are dismal – 12 percent can’t read and 33 percent don’t read. Only 11 percent are elite readers....

Dearborn City School DistrictDetroit Public SchoolsFarmington Public School District

Metro Detroit’s 20 Largest School Districts, Ranked by Student Attainment

Education is important, but it’s very clear that not all students are educated equally. The New York Times published an article based on a study that looked at the correlation between money race, and student success. The results were fascinating and disheartening. But what does that mean locally? Using the Stanford Center For Education Policy Analysis study data, we applied the findings to Metro Detroit’s 20 largest school districts (using the tri-county area as definition this time) to see ho...

City YearDetroitDetroit Public Schools

Gores, Detroit Pistons Partner With City Year to Boost Engagement in Schools

There are a lot of reasons why we love the Pistons, and we just added another to our list. The Detroit Pistons and City Year Detroit have announced a long-term partnership to help grow City Year’s reach in Detroit Public Schools over the next three years. The agreement will help the non-profit organization further its mission of placing AmeriCorps members in high-poverty urban high schools to help mentor at-riusk students and prepare them for college and career success. “Education is a power...

DetroitDetroit Public SchoolsMike Morse Law Firm

WATCH: 23,000 Backpacks Donated to DPS Students

For many kids, the first day of school is an exciting time. They get to start a new grade, make new friends, and learn new subjects. However, for kids who lack proper school supplies, the first day of school can be painful. Arriving to school without supplies affects children’s self-worth and self-image. It also makes it difficult for the children to learn and participate in class, lessening their chance of success. However, this school year, the Mike Morse Law Firm, Michigan’s largest perso...

Detroit Fire DepartmentDetroit Public SchoolsMike Duggan

DPS Students Receive Firefighter Training Through New DFD Academy

As Detroit Public Schools prepare for the first day of classes, they have something exciting to celebrate. This fall, a class of 30 Detroit High School students will become the first to be trained as firefighters as part of a collaboration between the Detroit Fire Department and DPS. The two-year pilot program will train students as certified firefighters and emergency medical technicians (EMT) by the time they graduate from high school. Historically, the majority of new hires for DFD tend to...

Campus MartiusCity YearDetroit

City Year Detroit Aims To Help Increase Graduation Rate of Detroit Public School Students

Education is crucial to the future of the city of Detroit. With that in mind, City Year Detroit is an organization primarily focused on bridging the gap between students of Detroit Public Schools and their staff members. Understanding what students really need and want to get out of their school will help the students’ ability to continue to higher education after high school. Although Detroit has improved their graduation rate from 64% to 71% in the last year, according to the CEPI reports...