(WXYZ) — The Detroit Public Schools Community District is working on a new program to get students to want to work on literacy.
The district's struggles with literacy is well-documented. In 2016, former students filed and won a "right to read" lawsuit.
That saga has continued with over half of 8th graders who graduated last spring reading two or more grade levels below where they should be.
It's an issue that Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti said snowballs throughout high school.
Syncere Williams is walking into his freshman year at Cass Tech High School with a weight on his back. He and more than half of the freshmen throughout DPSCD are carrying the same burden – they need a little extra help with literacy.
Some say they don’t like reading, I don’t," Syncere said.
"What don't you like about it?" I asked.
"The big words and sometimes I just forget the most simplest words sometimes," he said.
Jamarr Gatewood, who has a junior at Cass Tech, gasped after hearing the spring 2024 end-of-year assessment results.
Fifty-four percent of eight graders tested at reading levels two or more grades below reading level, a slight improvement from the previous year.
"That right there, that’s crazy That’s definitely an issue, because if they’re not learning that, then they're going to be too far behind," Gatewood said.
"We’re talking about, off the top of my head a couple thousand students that’ll fall into that category," Vitti said.
There are a couple of factors that make that battle worse by the time they graduate. It's hard to squeeze in extra lessons on top of necessary credits students need to graduate.
That, coupled with high absentee rates, make it even harder for students to catch up.
"It’s an important point to note that if students miss nine or fewer days of school, they’re three to five times more likely to be at and above grade level in early elementary and middle school and three to five times more likely to be college ready in literacy," Vitti said. "Nearly 60% of our students miss 18 or more days a year."
To give struggling students a leg up, DPSCD is planning a program that will pay high school students to stay after school and work on literacy.
But, Vitti said the shortfalls in literacy does not mean DPSCD students can't read.
"Actually, most students can read at that grade level. What their challenge is reading content and answering questions based on what they’re reading," he said.
How much students will be paid and which schools will be included are still being decided.
The program will launch this fall, but there has been no start date announced.
Interest accrued on COVID-19 pandemic money earmarked for a development project that's sitting in the bank will fund the project.
"Money is money in my opinion. Getting paid? Sure," Syncere said.
"The money incentive is good because certain people - certain kids situations they need the money. Every kid is not well off," Gatewood added.
Syncere's grandma said he'll go to the first session, and Gatewood said his son will, too.
