Former GM Exec Hopes To Kick-Start Detroit Schools

If there were an award for the “most challenged” school district in the United States, the Detroit public school system would have good reason to claim the title.

The system is wrestling with crumbling buildings, low achievement and a decline in enrollment that just won’t stop. But this year, the system has added some new faces and plans to the mix in an attempt to revive it.

The Detroit Public Schools’ optimistic slogan this year is “We’re in,” which is what the students from Martin Luther King High School were chanting at an event at Amelia Earhart Elementary-Middle School that marked the beginning of the fall enrollment season.

The cheerleaders and the marching band are part of a re-branding effort for the district. DPS wants parents to know this is not the same old struggling school system.

Witness the brand new school that served as the backdrop for this event, which was run by the new emergency manager of the schools, Roy Roberts. He told attendees he has lots of new things to offer, including added instructional time in reading and math, an extended school day in summer school, and netbooks for all sixth through 12th graders.

If there were an award for the “most challenged” school district in the United States, the Detroit public school system would have good reason to claim the title.

The system is wrestling with crumbling buildings, low achievement and a decline in enrollment that just won’t stop. But this year, the system has added some new faces and plans to the mix in an attempt to revive it.

The Detroit Public Schools’ optimistic slogan this year is “We’re in,” which is what the students from Martin Luther King High School were chanting at an event at Amelia Earhart Elementary-Middle School that marked the beginning of the fall enrollment season.

The cheerleaders and the marching band are part of a re-branding effort for the district. DPS wants parents to know this is not the same old struggling school system.

Witness the brand new school that served as the backdrop for this event, which was run by the new emergency manager of the schools, Roy Roberts. He told attendees he has lots of new things to offer, including added instructional time in reading and math, an extended school day in summer school, and netbooks for all sixth through 12th graders.