- Voter guide 2026: Are Detroit students better off under DPSCD? School board candidates weigh in.
Students in the Detroit Public Schools Community District have made steady academic improvement since the district was created in 2016. Achievement overall is still low, however, and some critics say the gains made...
- How to fix Michigan’s literacy crisis? Start with poverty and housing solutions, experts say
Michigan’s gubernatorial candidates are focused on training and getting back to the basics to improve literacy. But some experts say the state must also address issues related to poverty, such as housing insecurity.
- 5 Detroit school board candidates run as a slate backed by ‘militant’ ‘anti-fascist’ activism group
In the crowded DPSCD board race, five candidates are running together as an ideological slate for the activism group By Any Means Necessary, or BAMN.
- Should parents be held accountable for their children’s chronic absenteeism? Board candidates weigh in.
With five Detroit school board seats up for election Nov. 3, candidates share their views on parents’ role in improving attendance.
- K-2 reading growth slowed last year in the Detroit district. Here’s what administrators say caused it.
This year is DPSCD's last to spend its $94.4 million literacy lawsuit settlement. The district analyzed what did and didn't work during the first two years of initiatives the settlement paid for.
- Here’s what DPSCD board candidates would do to replace literacy money that’s about to run out
The Detroit Public Schools Community District received $94.4 million to settle a right to-read literacy lawsuit. The money will run out by the end of this school year.
- Detroiters to vote on two-year, four-year terms for DPSCD school board
There are 34 people running for the Detroit Public Schools Community District board. Thirty-one of them are vying for four four-year terms, while three are running for a two-year partial term.
- How Detroit school board candidates would address chronic absenteeism
With 60% of DPSCD students chronically absent, attendance is a key issue in the Nov. 3 school board election.
- Michigan Increased Funding for English Learners by $12.5 Million. Advocates Say a Big Gap Persists.
This year, Michigan lawmakers increased state funding for English language learners by $12.5 million — but not all such students will benefit. Michigan does not provide school districts with additional funding for...
- This November’s Detroit school board election may drastically change the district’s direction. Here’s how.
The DPSCD school board will have a new majority after the November election. The new board will have the ability to drastically shape the district.
- Michigan chronic absenteeism falls again, but more than 1 in 4 students miss too much school
The chronic absenteeism rate for Michigan schools has declined for the fourth year in a row.
- DPSCD makes progress on long-needed air conditioning upgrades
Detroit Superintendent Nikolai Vitti, seen here during a visit to the School at Marygrove last month, says that by the 2028-29 school year, 81% of the district's buildings will have full air conditioning.
- M-STEP results: The Detroit school district is catching up to charter schools
How did Detroit and suburban charter schools perform on the 2026 M-STEP? Chalkbeat analyzed the results.
- Michigan increased funding for English learners by $12.5 million. Advocates say a big gap persists.
English Language Development teacher Christina Rick, left, provides individual instruction to English learners and some of their peers in a biology class at Troy High School.
- Detroit mayor announces 7 new after-school program sites with $2.2 million in city funds
Mayor Mary Sheffield's office announced Thursday that a $2.2 million investment in after-school programming will allow around 1,000 more students access to GOAL Line Detroit programs.
- The rise, fall — and possible future — of high-dosage tutoring
Third graders work on a math worksheet at an after-school tutoring program at Ecorse Ralph J. Bunche Elementary School on April 7, 2022 in Ecorse, Michigan.
- Meet the candidates running for the Detroit school board
Thirty-four Detroiters are running for five seats on the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Our voter guide provides a look at where they stand on the issues.
- Detroit district maintains growth in literacy and math on the 2026 M-STEP
DPSCD's proficiency rates on the 2026 M-STEP suggest the changes the district have made are yielding continued improvement, researchers say.
- As Michigan reading scores fall again, state superintendent is clear: ‘We need to improve.’
Results of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress show many students continue to struggle in reading.
- American Psychological Association calls for higher ed tech standards, not screen bans in new report
Tablets charge in an elementary classroom in Mesick Consolidated Schools. The Michigan district banned screens for elementary students this spring in a bid to raise reading scores. Debates about the appropriate use of...
- DPSCD board addresses funding gaps between sports teams
The Detroit Public Schools Community District board discussed spending for athletics, with the board president advocating for more equity between high school and K-8 sports.
- Detroit school district to hold parents accountable for too many unexcused early sign-outs
DPSCD parents will have to meet with administrators if their child has three or more unexcused absences in a quarter. After six, they will be asked to sign an attendance contract.
- 56% of Michigan Teachers Are Thinking About Leaving in Five Years, Poll Says
Most Michigan teachers feel deeply dedicated to their profession, but a quarter of them are considering leaving the profession within a year, and 56% might leave within five years. Those are the results of a new poll...
- With a State Cellphone Ban in Place, Michigan Schools Choose a Range of Options
Put it in your locker. Store it in a pouch. Keep it in your backpack. Hand it over to the principal. Leave it at home.  With the state of Michigan enacting a cellphone ban this fall that restricts students from...
- First day of school comes with excitement, bittersweet feelings
Mumford High School students are greeted by teachers and staff on the first of school on August 24, 2026, in Detroit.
- Nearly 53,000 Apply for Michigan’s Free Pre-K Program As Enrollment Grows
Michigan’s initiative to offer free pre-kindergarten for all is paying off, state educators said Wednesday, as the Department of Lifelong Education, Advancement and Potential, also known as MiLEAP, touted nearly 53,000...
- Back to school in Michigan: New cellphone rules, a fitness test, and more
Michigan schools are implementing policies for the 2026-27 school year that restrict students' use of cellphones during instruction.
- Detroit school board appoints 25-year-old youth advocate as its newest member
Jeremiah Steen was appointed to the DPSCD board on Wednesday. Pictured, Steen answers the board's questions in an interview for the position.
- Parent engagement and more resources to get kids to school: What to expect this school year in Detroit
Mayor Mary Sheffield announced Friday a new program to keep kids safe on routes to school. A ride share pilot will also take around 150 students at risk of being chronically absent to school.
- Detroit school board to fill vacant seat of late member Iris Taylor ahead of November election
The DPSCD board must fill an open seat before the November election. Pictured, board members meet to interview candidates in July 2025.
- Detroit school district addresses school cleanliness, special education, and more in community meeting
DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti listens to an audience member during a community meeting Aug. 7 at Renaissance High School in Detroit.
- Education will be a key topic as Benson and James face off in Michigan governor’s race
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, left, and Michigan U.S. Representative John James won the Democratic and Republican primaries Tuesday and will face off in the November general election.
- $120 million is on the line in today’s DPSCD’s tax proposal vote
Detroit voters are heading to the polls Tuesday to help decide the fate of an operating millage proposal for the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Michigan voters are deciding which candidates for governor will...
- Outdoor Ed Programs Canceled for Tens of Thousands of Students After Federal Cuts
Nazma Begum spoke very little English and had never been on a hike in the woods when she moved to Detroit from Bangladesh at the age of 13.  But when she saw an announcement at her high school for a camping trip in...
- Detroit school district responds to influx of questions after critical posts from content creator
DPSCD Superintendent Nikolai Vitti fielded questions about contracts and school cleanliness during a virtual meeting Monday. The district said it got an influx of questions after a string of viral social media posts.
- Need free school supplies? Here’s how Detroit parents can get back-to-school gear for their kids.
Free backpacks are a popular item during back-to-school giveaways taking place in August throughout Detroit.
- Iris Taylor, leader in Detroit healthcare and DPSCD board member, dies at 74
Iris Taylor, a member of the Detroit Public Schools Community District board and a prominent healthcare leader, died 74. Here, she speaks during the Cody High School graduation in June 2019.
- Detroit school board signals desire to find alternatives to demolition for four closed buildings
Some board members for the Detroit Public Schools Community District are reconsidering plans to demolish four school buildings that closed at the end of the 2025-26 school year.
- From literacy to school choice: How Michigan’s governor candidates compare on education
The four remaining candidates for Michigan governor agree that improving literacy is a priority. They face off in Aug. 4 primaries.
- Here are the 35 people running for the Detroit school board
A crowded field of 35 people are running for five open seats on the Detroit school board.
