Detroit’s Public Education

Through my work with Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), I have learned a lot about how Detroit views education – specifically public k-12 education. While the projects that I am working on fall into different categories, they are all under the umbrella of enrollment. My goal is to help the district find improvements in their approach to getting families to enroll their students. Through my projects, I have learned about the different perceptions that many families have towards their education in their community. There is a good percentage of Detroiters that have this understanding that if their students do not end up in specialty schools – Application or Examination schools – they are at a disadvantaged. This comes from their personal experience with their neighborhood schools. Some will even take their schools outside the district or the public-school system if it isn’t possible to put them into these specialty schools. With the new direction DPSCD has taken since its formation these last few years, one of their main goals is to disrupt this perception. By reaching out to the community, the enrollment team is trying to put out the perception that the district is on this new path to strengthen neighborhood schools. While the pandemic has certainly made this task much harder, the district is still taking measures for outreach. Recently, Ambassadors (outreach volunteers) have started canvassing around Detroit. The plan is to continue throughout the summer at local events and spread the word of these schools and the new opportunities they can hopefully provide to these families.