Chalkbeat

Education news. In context.

Chalkbeat

Nikolai Vitti

Family Hubs

Detroit
December 14, 2018

Why the Detroit district is turning its adult ed centers into places where families can find helpful services

The creation of family hubs in the Detroit school district is part of rebuilding efforts there.

School letter grades

Detroit
December 13, 2018

Lame duck Michigan lawmakers just voted on A-F grades for schools. Here’s what you need to know.

A bill that would mandate an A-F letter grading system would mean a new way of holding schools accountable, but it's garnered criticism

Literacy tutors needed

Detroit
December 11, 2018

Detroit enlists volunteer tutors before third-grade reading law takes effect

Scores of Detroit students could be held back under Michigan's third-grade reading law. Can volunteer tutors help?

State of schools

Detroit
December 6, 2018

Equitable school funding prompts a tense moment during Detroit’s second State of the Schools event

School funding was a hot topic at a forum, attended by nearly 250 people in Detroit, that was designed to help them understand the state of schools in the city.

State of the Schools

Detroit
November 27, 2018

Detroit’s second State of the Schools address aims to answer ‘who makes decisions about our schools.’

The second annual event is scheduled for Thursday, December 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. It will feature Superintendent Nikolai Vitti and Rob Kimball, who chairs the Michigan charter school authorizers council.

moving forward

Detroit
November 16, 2018

Frequent school changes are hurting students. Here’s how Detroit’s educators want to fix the problem.

As Detroit education leaders gathered Thursday night to find solutions to the problem of students frequently changing schools, it was clear that the…

What's in a name?

Detroit
November 13, 2018

Out with Ben Carson, in with Aretha Franklin? Detroit kicks off a school renaming process

Detroiters with ties to four city schools will soon have their say over the buildings’ names. The city school board on Tuesday…

Finding solutions

Detroit
November 7, 2018

Forum to seek solutions to Detroit’s problems with frequent school moves

The discussion, 6 to 8 p.m. Nov. 15 at the main branch of the Detroit Public Library at 5201 Woodward, will be recorded and later aired on WDET's “Detroit Today” and DPTV's “American Black Journal.”

Making the grade

Detroit
October 25, 2018

New A-F grades in Detroit could be painful, but will give schools credit for improvement

A new citywide education commission will soon start assigning A-F grades to every school in Detroit — the first time in years that schools in the city will get letter grades from a government entity.

Long-term fix

Detroit
October 9, 2018

Detroit district settles on long-term water fix, but major facilities issues remain

Detroit schools are getting new water filtration systems in the next year, a long-term solution to one piece of the district’s staggering school…
Detroit
October 1, 2018

Rise & Shine: What could a new district school mean for the old ones?

The proposed Detroit Latin school is inspired by similar such schools in Boston and New York City. The leader of the effort helped establish the…

another new school?

Detroit
September 28, 2018

In a bid to lure students back to Detroit, Vitti wants to open a new school focused on classical culture

Just two weeks after Detroit’s main district announced the opening of one new school, its superintendent is asking…

Water fight

Detroit
August 31, 2018

Detroit superintendent accuses charter school leader of using drinking water crisis to disparage district

Vitti on Friday sent a cease and desist letter to Mark Ornstein, who heads the University Prep charter school network, demanding that Ornstein correct a “defamatory statement” he made in an automated phone call to parents this week.

Lost in Translation

Detroit
August 13, 2018

Detroit superintendent promises Spanish translators, other fixes for ‘broken’ system

Spanish-speaking parents walked away with a list of promises from Vitti who says there’s a lot the district can do to better meet the needs of these families.
Detroit
July 24, 2018

Rise & Shine: Join our conversation about special education in Detroit

No aspect of fixing Detroit schools is easy, but perhaps the most difficult challenge is the work of improving services for children…
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