Parents fed up with a lack of teaching at Douglass High School in Detroit organized a student walkout last week. However, instead of getting a commitment from the school to improve teaching and reduce teacher absences, the only apparent outcome is that 50 students were suspended. Several school board members also joined the walkout.
Students at the all-boys school have reportedly been whiling away their time in the gym, cafeteria and library as a result of teacher absences, and students preparing to graduate claim that, judging from the syllabi, they are months behind -particularly in math. Parents have voiced concern that A's are being handed out simply for students showing up to class. To make matters worse, the principal was recently reassigned following a three-month sick leave.
Douglass is one of the few Detroit high schools that met AYP standards in the past, but it failed to do so in 2011 for English Language Arts, a trend that seems likely to continue this year. It's nothing short of criminal that students who are clamoring for education aren't getting it.
Susan Douglas
Susan Douglas