By Angelique Peterson-Mayberry, Guest Columnist
One might say that Detroit Public School Community District (DPSCD), Michigan’s largest school district, was a bit ahead of its time when referring to a Dr. Rashida Hobbs-Jones statement. In 2022, Dr. Rashida, Executive Director for School Improvement and author, shared her thoughts on the importance of growing the number of Black women leaders in education. In 2017, women dominated a seven-person board, with six board members being women. In 2019, the number of women on the DPSCD Board increased to all seven members.
The role that these women attained is further proof that teachers, students, families, and ultimately, the entire school community can do better if there is consistent racial identification with their leaders. DPSCD’s Board of Education has helped build a sense of pride in the work being done in all areas of the district – from academic achievement to parent involvement and business management. I have the distinct vantage point of seeing the district through a dual lens as the Board of Education President, as well as being a proud graduate of DPSCD.
With more than 48,000 students in our DPSCD Family, there is a desperate need to see Black leaders, especially women, engaged in every aspect of our school family. Being able to relate builds a system of trust with all constituents, and because we have such great talent on the Board, it has allowed us to work quickly and cohesively alongside Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti. Together, we expeditiously garnered financial control of the district after decades of control from the State of Michigan, and although that was just the beginning, our work continues. We recently received independent confirmation of our post-pandemic recovery despite opposing trends nationally, and according to a recent Stanford University/Harvard University Education Scorecard, DPSCD outpaced national pandemic recovery in both reading and mathematics. Additionally, DPSCD’s investments are yielding greater returns than nearly every other traditional public school district in Michigan.
Having seven Black women lead the DPSCD Board of Education brings inordinate benefits with community engagement and rapport with our students, parents, and faculty, especially in urban areas of the city. The Board of Education supports DPSCD’s intentionality to focus on reform work that offers the greatest impact on student learning, providing wraparound services aimed at supporting attendance, teaching high quality, standards of aligned curriculum, and investing in teacher and administrator effectiveness.
Looking ahead, the district’s new strategic plan will lead with a goal of improving student attendance. Our Board of Education sees the opportunity to help create a conversation around attendance in every area of the city we touch. We are members of community sororities, active in our churches, have strong voices with parents, and are engaged in social media to help the district move this forward.
Our continued efforts are timely, with this being Public Schools Week, part of the #HerefortheKids campaign. The #HerefortheKids campaign brings together families, educators, and community members to shine a light on local public schools and tell the stories of the amazingly positive things happening in classrooms and school buildings nationwide.
This, coupled with the wind-down of Black History Month and the start of Women’s History Month, is important to recognize the work and achievements of your elected Board of Education members – 100% Black who happen to all be women all working together to make a positive impact for our DPSCD children and their families.
Angelique Peterson-Mayberry is the President of the Detroit Public School Community District Board of Education, as well as a Manufacturing Employee Engagement Specialist at Ford Motor
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