Dozens of people showed up fo a school board meeting with the Detroit Public Schools Community District on Tuesday night to voice their concerns about poor ratings on the latest national report card.
It was a regularly-scheduled board meeting but parents and teachers showed up blaming the state for the poor report, demanding something be done.
The National Assessment of Education Progress says DPSCD ranks dead last in the report card.
Only four percent of students scored proficient or above in fourth grade math. Eighth grade math was no different, only five percent proficient or above. Reading was also a problem.
The district returned to local control last year after a state takeover in 2009. One teacher says classrooms don't have enough books, and the new superintendent says they are already making changes.
DPSCD Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti released this statement:
“Our NAEP scores are not a reflection of our students’ talent or potential. Instead, they are indicative of a school system that has not implemented best practices regarding curriculum, instruction, academic intervention, and school improvement for over a decade. Our students, parents, teachers, and principals are ready to embrace change for improvement! They know we can do better! This year we have focused on rebuilding the district’s infrastructure using the same strategies that led to some of the highest performance among large urban school districts in Duval, Miami-Dade, and Florida in general. This includes a focus on training teachers and leaders on the Common Core standards, implementing data systems to monitor student performance and provide intervention, and curriculum that is aligned to the standards. We simply need time and space to build capacity and improvement will be seen by 2020’s administration of NAEP.”
You can view the report card and search districts here.
