Open Discussion Forum

Thirty-six years ago, I was one of the first graduates of Renaissance High School, an entrance exam only competitive public school in the city of Detroit, MI. I must say that my experiences included rigorous studies from primarily PhD credentialed instructors who expected nothing but the best from each student. The instructors knew their students by name, were familiar with our families and knew our neighborhoods,  because they too resided within the city proper. During the initial years, the school did not participate in competive sports. Instead, the girls and boys basketball team, the softball and tennis teams, participated in intramural competition as not to disrupt the learning environment. 

The instruction extended beyond the classroom walls and school building. I fondly recall attending the Hillberry Theatre at Wayne State University, to view The Dairy of Ann Frank and several of Shakespeare's literary pieces in stage plays. My music class attended the Detroit Symphony Orchestra during the school week on numerous occasions with the instructor orchestrating backstage tours with the musicians.  My art class toured the Detroit Institute of Arts, with an expectation of completing written assignments on our critical observations. I could  glady continue what I would consider meaningful differences in educational opportunities. I believe that a lack opportunities and experiences creates educational learning gaps.  I recall these memorable life experiences, where the bar for excellence was not only set high in the school's culture, but also from my parents who understood their commitment to my education.

I vividly recall well attended Parent Teacher Conferences and there was NO extra credit offered to students to entice parents to attend. Parents willingly attended and asked questions regarding their children's education. Although it was a public school, parents financially contributed and students raised funds for many of the competitive academic events that were held out of town. 

Although my parents had high expectations too for my three siblings, I would be the only child in the family to attend Renaissance High due to the application process during the initial years of operation. Renaissance offered acceptance of 400 applicants, which included 200 9th and 200 10th graders.

There were many academics and behavioral requirements of the students to remain at Renaissance. There was zero tolerance. A violation of the student code of conduct,  included being returned to your neighborhood high school. In 1981, I graduated with 166 other classmates from the original 200 that began with me just two years prior. 

Thirty-six years later, many of the other 50+high schools that were previously open, are now torned down or are vacant buildings that scrappers have left as skeletal shells. The 30 high schools that remain open, with exception of the high schools that the city considers premier academic institutions; 
Cass Technological High, Martin Luther King High, Northwestern Academy High and Renaissance High, are underperforming schools with over crowded classrooms, lack of educational materials, instructors who don't reside in the city proper and may be unaware of the living conditions and lack of basic needs many of these students consider normalcy. I see this too as an educational gap in the learning process. Additionally, the instructors have made many consesions at the suggestion of their union leadership, which created a huge shortage of certified instructors in the district. Students aren't receiving consistency in their instruction of course materials.  Again another gap in the learning process. 

The treasured memories I have from attending Detroit Public Schools, are not the same memories or lived experiences of everyone who attended non-premier schools in the late 70s and early 80s. In all honesty, as the article states, there are students who have recently graduated from high school in Detroit this past June, who are ill prepared for collegiate rigor or employment that would provide a livable wage. 

As a solution oriented leader, noting that Detroit is one of the most racially separated cities in America, it's diverse population of students should not be viewed as those poor Detroit students. With a new superintendent in place as of May 2017, Nikolai Vitti has committed to a restructuring of the district.  Vitti makes himself visible in the schools that have been adopted by the Metro-Detroit communities to  assist in refurbishing the school buildings into welcoming community learning environments.  

Vitti's visits into the schools are not intended to catch the instructors in subordinate behavior, but to gain a better understanding of each school's culture and community. I sincerely believe that an ideal solution would not only seek to lessen the educational gap within the Metro-Detroit area and the suburban school districts,  but to eliminate the causes of the gaps altogether.