Week 8: Puzzle Pieces – Detroit Community-Engaged Research Program

Week 8: Puzzle Pieces

This week at my site has been strictly focused on finalizing my project so I can present it next Wednesday. I believe that this project has brought me as close to the heart of the work my organization is doing as possible (for someone who’ll only be in the district for nine weeks). While creating a Future Educators Club for DPSCD is technically a side project for the district, it’s just one entry point that the district is creating to grow more Detroiter teachers. The complete plan to make becoming a teacher more affordable and streamlined for DPSCD students has coursework starting as young as 9th grade and subsidized tuition with a 3-year fast-track to a degree and certification. As someone who took every opportunity to get free college, I would have jumped on this if it meant an ensured job and leaving college debt-free. Additionally, DPSCD has the highest starting salary as of 2020 at $51,000! While my project is a very small piece of the puzzle that the administration is putting together, every piece exemplifies the attention the district is giving to making and retaining good teachers. Being at this site has also shown me the valuable work done behind the scenes in education, and I’m looking forward to building a career in different areas of the field.

3 thoughts on “Week 8: Puzzle Pieces”

  1. It is great to hear how insightful working with DPSCD has been for you! The work you have done is amazing and I agree that the opportunities the complete plan will be providing to the future generations is one that will make such a large impact in Detroit. I love the way you explained the work you have done, the work we do truly is like a small piece of a beautiful and impactful puzzle!

  2. Edisa Niyifasha

    Hi Cynthia,

    I am glad to hear that you feel like you have got to know what your project is actually about. I definitely did not know that Detroit Teachers are getting paid the highest but I know they do deserve it since they have a large population of students from low-income and underrepresented families that have a lot of issues and cause a lot of students to miss a lot of school days.

  3. Hi Cynthia,
    This is really cool! My mom is a teacher, so I’ve always heard a lot about the problems that teachers face, and it’s wonderful to see the profession be more valued. I hope your presentation goes well. Good luck!

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