Brian Jacob presents the initial findings from the Youth Policy Lab’s evaluation work for GDYT, which centers around educational outcomes for applicants and participants.
An Education Policy Initiative and School of Education
Speaker Series with panelists Chastity Pratt Dawsey, reporter for Bridge Magazine, Diana Preciado, instructional specialist at Detroit Public Schools, Lamont D. Satchel, Chief Innovation Officer at Detroit Public Schools, and Tawana Petty aka Honeycomb, Detroit mother/organizer/author/poet.
Key education leaders will offer their perspective and analysis on the evolving education landscape in Detroit, including the establishment of the Education Achievement Authority in 2012, the surge of charter school enrollment, and the influence of nonprofits in the education sector. Panelists include Daniel Varner, Chief Executive Officer of Excellent Schools Detroit and a member of Michigan's State Board of Education, Tom Willis, Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone Charter Schools in Detroit, and Veronica Conforme, Interim Chancellor of the Education Achievement Authority. Brian Jacob, co-director of the Education Policy Initiative, will moderate.
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy
Betty Ford Classroom
Abstract Over the past two decades, many urban school districts have restructured large, traditional high schools into smaller learning communities. The idea behind this movement is that small schools provide a more personalized learning environment that allows teachers to more effectively address the multi-faceted needs of disadvantaged students. Despite mixed evidence on the efficacy of such reforms in practice, Detroit and other high-poverty districts have pressed forward with the creation of smaller high schools.