New Detroit Public School Superintendent Nikolai Vitti sees benefit in single-gender schooling, but acknowledges there is a challenge in promoting it as an option for students. “Enrollment is lower than it should be,” Vitti said.
Ronald Collins, former teacher at Frederick Douglass Academy for Young Men, died in October. After teaching math for 30 years, Collins retired at 54.
The Frederick Douglass Promise Program is making a major impact on the ninth graders at Frederick Douglass Academy. Months in the planning, the program is designed to ease the transition of freshmen to high school and encourages them to excel academically and socially by offering support from administrators, school counselors, parents, teachers, upper-classmen and community leaders. Unlike existing bridge programs, which run 4-6 weeks and focus on brushing up academics for incoming ninth graders, the Promise Program supports students year-round.
