Category Archives: Blog
DERP Releases Report on Persistently Present Students
by: The Skillman Foundation | Dec. 24th, 2019 The Detroit Education Research Partnership (DERP) at Wayne State University released a study on the attendance patterns of “chronic attenders.” “Chronic attenders,” as defined in DERP’s study, are Detroit students with attendance rates of 80% or higher during the 2018-19 school year. Per the report, “High attending […]
Read more »2019: A Year of Radical Love
by: Tonya Allen | Dec. 23rd, 2019 As I reflect on 2019, one phrase rises to the top, a summary of my aspirations and my commitment to our children: Radical Love. “Radical” is to champion significant social change. “Love” is to act in favor of others, for the betterment of people. Radical love in Detroit […]
Read more »Historic Panel of State Leaders Recommend Strategies for Michigan Educational Results
by: The Skillman Foundation | Dec. 18th, 2019 “Each and every Michigan child deserves access to the opportunities they need to achieve their aspirations, no matter where they live or how much money their family earns.” DETROIT – A diverse panel of state business, education, civic and philanthropic leaders today unveiled their vision for providing […]
Read more »The Skillman Foundation Opens Afterschool and Summer Program Request for Proposals this Month
by: The Skillman Foundation | Dec. 6th, 2019 DETROIT – The Skillman Foundation has opened a Request for Proposals (RFP) in December 2019 through January 29, 2020 for its 2020 Call For Collaboration grants for Detroit youth-serving organizations. Those working in or with afterschool program providers, schools, community centers, parks and recreation, libraries, churches, colleges/universities, or other youth-serving […]
Read more »Poverty Solutions finds Undercount of Homeless Kids in Detroit, Across Michigan
by: Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan | Dec. 3rd, 2019 New referral system between Detroit shelters, schools aims to better serve homeless students This story was originally written by Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan. To read the original post, click here. DETROIT — It’s below freezing outside on a gray November […]
Read more »Afterschool Program Database for Metro Detroit Youth Launches
by: The Skillman Foundation | Nov. 13th, 2019 A new online resource for youth and families is designed to help find meaningful afterschool programs to support the growth and development of Metro Detroit youth. Discover Your Spark, launched by the Youth Development Resource Center (YDRC), is a comprehensive database of aftershool programming in Wayne, Oakland, […]
Read more »Too Many Kids, Not Enough Space
by: Elicenda Garza | Nov. 13th, 2019 This post originally appeared on Our Kids Detroit Students’ Blog, supported by The Skillman Foundation. Read the original post here. Last year, my youth group, 482Youth, surveyed students and teachers from Detroit. We wanted to know the biggest issue they thought they faced in their schools.The number one answer, out of […]
Read more »In its second year, nonprofit initiative Teach 313 is recruiting, retaining and celebrating Detroit teachers
by: Teach 313 | Nov. 8th, 2019 Funded by The Skillman Foundation and Detroit Children’s Fund, Teach 313 is hosting local hiring fairs and free teacher events this fall DETROIT, Mich., Nov. 7, 2019 – Teach 313, a nonprofit initiative dedicated to recruiting and retaining teachers in Detroit, is impacting the future of education in […]
Read more »Our Kids Essay Contest
by: The Skillman Foundation | Nov. 7th, 2019 A local essay contest will give youth the opportunity to share their ideas and perspectives around their schools and the issues that impact their lives. The Our Kids Essay Contest is accepting entries from high school and first-year college students until Saturday, November 16. Students are encouraged […]
Read more »Why Funding Matters
by: Wallyaldeen Alhomaidi | Nov. 7th, 2019 This post originally appeared on Our Kids Detroit Students’ Blog. Read the original post here. Check out the first vlog by Wally Aldeen Alhomaidi from the 482Youth group of 482Forward, “Why Funding Matters” about school funding. 482Forward is a citywide education organizing network in Detroit. “We are neighborhood organizations, parents, and youth committed to ensuring […]
Read more »Successful Despite…
by: Imani Harris | Oct. 30th, 2019 This post originally appeared on Our Kids Detroit Students’ Blog, supported by The Skillman Foundation. Read the original post here. My first year of college was…a rough ride. I had just graduated from my city’s number one school, and all of a sudden I was attending a top ten university. My […]
Read more »NBC News Learn Presents: Education Now Detroit
by: The Skillman Foundation | Oct. 29th, 2019 On October 24, 2019, NBC News hosted a series of panel discussions with stakeholders in the realm of Detroit education. Dubbed Education Now: Detroit, the event brought together educators, community leaders, and others to discuss addressing student trauma, chronic absence, teacher preparation, and student opportunity. The Skillman […]
Read more »Cody Rouge Initiative Invests $1.4M to Expand City Year Support for Neighborhood Students
by: The Skillman Foundation | Oct. 29th, 2019 DETROIT – The Cody Rouge Initiative (the Initiative), a public-private collaboration to support a resident-led vision to ensure Detroit’s Cody Rouge neighborhood is a great place to raise children, announced it is providing $1.4 million in funding over two years to City Year Detroit, an education-focused nonprofit […]
Read more »The American Education System Must Be Equal Before It Can Be the Best
by: Christal Phillips | Oct. 28th, 2019 I have spent my life and career thinking about the inequality of social structures that prevent most of the world’s population from ever escaping poverty. My work in the study of poverty alleviation took me to Ethiopia, Tanzania, China, and Thailand. But Americans need not go far to […]
Read more »Lights on Aftershool
by: Terry Whitfield | Oct. 21st, 2019 There is a generational understanding of the power of the streetlight, one that is rooted in our collective consciousness; one that strongly resonates in my memories of growing up in Detroit. For most kids, the streetlight served as the universal signal to get home. I would find myself […]
Read more »Wayne Kids Win! announces petition drive for after school proposal
by: The Skillman Foundation | Oct. 17th, 2019 Yesterday, on October 16th, Wayne Kids Win! announced a petition drive to collect signatures from registered voters in Wayne County, aiming to collect enough signatures to place a millage proposal on the March 10, 2020 ballot in support of afterschool programming for Wayne County children. Who is […]
Read more »School Lunches
by: Elicenda Garza | Oct. 9th, 2019 This post originally appeared on Our Kids Detroit Students’ Blog. Read the original post here. I’m sure everyone has heard “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day” at least once in their lifetime. Whether they agree, or not, is a different matter, but I think we can all agree on […]
Read more »2019 Skillman BMe Vanguard Fellows
by: Kumar Raj | Oct. 1st, 2019 Detroit residents—and their voices—are strong. Detroiters have played an instrumental role in shaping culture in their city, country, and world. But too often, their voices are missing from the forefront of shaping the policies, practices, and systems that impact their lives and communities. To help deepen the bench […]
Read more »School Attendance Must Be a Priority after Count Day
by: | Oct. 1st, 2019 This op-ed originally appeared in The Detroit Free Press. Click here to read the original post. Kids in Detroit missed almost 2.3 million days of school last year. That’s 2.3 million missed days of learning — 2.3 million missed opportunities to build essential skills, 2.3 million days of partially filled classrooms, 2.3 million days […]
Read more »Taking Charge of Our Education
by: Elicenda Garza | Sep. 25th, 2019 This post originally appeared on Our Kids Detroit Students’ Blog. Read the original post here. Recently, I’ve started to realize how different my community is from other people’s. Have you ever noticed how poor communities of color are portrayed in movies and shows? It is always much worse […]
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