To create an equitable education system, we need a specific mix of people working together. We also need critical voices to be centered. Detroit’s education system most impacts Black and Brown youth, educators, and community members (ground builders), so they must have power in the education system. By power we mean having the resources, capacity, and infrastructure required to influence and enact change.

Ground builders are critical actors who take action to transform systemic inequities. They are the most impacted and are the front-line heroes.

Our Ground Building work has three focus areas:

Youth Power
Investing in young people as the catalysts of change. They have first-hand experiences and bold ideas needed to transform the education system.

Educator Power
Ensuring educators’ expertise informs education policy and its implementation.

Neighborhood Power
Accounting for whole-family, whole-community solutions in education system changes.

We are in the process of developing new, community-informed strategies, to launch in the second half of 2024.

See the latest in Ground Building