In the first quarter of 2018, Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) Superintendent, Dr. Nikolai Vitti, greeted stakeholders in the community as he delivered his first State of the School address. “It’s a blessing. It’s an honor. It’s a privilege to be superintendent of DPSCD and there isn’t a day that I don’t think about the impact that I can have on kids,” he said.
Vitti, who was selected in a national search by the district’s board in May 2017, has been committed to fostering change and charge over a district in need of something new. In the address Vitti was transparent about the district’s challenges and vision for the future. With a little under 60,000 children in the district’s schools, enrollment remains an issue for the district that competes with the charter schools peppered throughout the city.
Vitti’s address indicated the journey to reform the district with a vision that students will have the knowledge, skills, and confidence necessary to thrive in the city, nation, and the world. Nevertheless, for Detroiters, the question remains, what are the district’s real hopes for its children who, in spite of the growing diverse population of residents entering the district, are still predominately black?
In his address, Vitti broke down five priorities that are the focus for the district which include: transformative culture, outstanding achievement, whole child commitment, exceptional talent, and responsible stewardship. Vitti acknowledges the history of Detroit’s schools as being at one time one of the best districts in the country, but speaks to a legacy of issues that caused a shift in that stellar status. A proponent of traditional and strong public schools, his desire is to restore the district’s past and to empower its pupils. Issues that have caused the district to lose its footing, he notes, include decades of state emergency management from DPS to DPSCD and leadership.
As Vitti seeks the support of community stakeholders and children, , he added that the second year of reform is demonstrating signs of improvement in student achievement, partnership schools, enrollment, attendance, student engagement, and teacher vacancies. With an affirmative statement that DPSCD is on the rise, Vitti ended with a Call to Action for stakeholders to be part of the journey that realizes the district’s mission and vision.
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