50 students were suspended from Frederick Douglass Academy in Detroit, Michigan after leaving class in protest, chanting "We want education. When do we want it? Now!"
The administration had ignored complaints from students and parents, including a shortage of textbooks, teachers who abuse their sick time (with one being gone for over 68 days), and a lack of consistent teachers.
There have been so many teachers absent that students have had to have class in the gym, and many have gone without homework for long amounts of time. The 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress scored Detroit dead last. The US Secretary of Education said Detroit is "ground zero" for education reform. The school district is deep in debt and on the first day of the 2011-2012 school year, the attendance rate was 55%.
The administration had ignored complaints from students and parents, including a shortage of textbooks, teachers who abuse their sick time (with one being gone for over 68 days), and a lack of consistent teachers.
There have been so many teachers absent that students have had to have class in the gym, and many have gone without homework for long amounts of time. The 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress scored Detroit dead last. The US Secretary of Education said Detroit is "ground zero" for education reform. The school district is deep in debt and on the first day of the 2011-2012 school year, the attendance rate was 55%.
The recent protests show that it is high time for Detroit Public Schools to commit to education reform in its district. Tell DPS that Detroit must invest in its students' future!
