Quan Neloms, a veteran Detroit educator who’s been a lecturer at UM-Dearborn since 2021, likes to joke that his early studio experience made him the first member of Lyricist Society, the after-school group he started in 2009.

For the first time in its 16-year history, the Elementary Mathematics Laboratory, a program tailored for teachers, education leaders and researchers, will be held at The School at Marygrove in Detroit. The week-long classes, July 24-28, will be hosted by TeachingWorks, a center at the University of Michigan’s Marsal Family School of Education dedicated to harnessing the power of teaching to create a more just society.

How do you make sure that growth is good? This was the overarching question students at The School at Marygrove explored for their final projects about creating equitable growth in their hometown of Detroit. It was the culminating assignment for the economics class taught by lead teacher Brandon Moss and student teacher Hunter Janness.

Led by Victoria Shaw, “Making Change through Making Art” will bring together Detroit-based visual artists with students from Detroit Public Schools Community District in a new art-making elective class to explore how engaging with visual arts can promote social justice activism.

Although the curriculum is quite different from the mathematics and physics classes that Ravi Smith has previously taught, it positions him to do some of the same problem solving that his students are doing.

Discussions around the fall return to in-person school after more than a year of remote learning largely focused on the general impact on K-12 children and veteran teachers. But little…

Construction on the Early Childhood Education Center has finished and the new facility will welcome students in fall 2021. The School of Education is involved in curriculum and professional development for the center, as well as coordinating cross-campus holistic support services for children and families.

Local philanthropist Waltraud “Wally” Prechter is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts that support the School of Education’s work on the P-20 partnership. Qualifying donations will support teacher education, students with scholarships and training in Detroit; advance curriculum development, implementation and evaluation; and further the professional growth of Detroit educators. 

The task force’s report on engagement in Detroit is used as a guide across campus to ensure that research and engagement projects are conducted in an equitable and mutually beneficial manner. The task force was chaired by Robert Sellers, vice provost and chief diversity officer, and included representatives from all areas of campus.