Detroit Students To Learn Remotely Following $23M Plan

DETROIT, MI — A $23 million plan will provide Detroit students with tools essential to learning outside of the classroom during the coronavirus pandemic, city officials announced on Thursday.

City-based businesses Quicken Loans and DTE, the Skillman Foundation, the city and Detroit Public Schools announced the plan to bridge the digital divide for more than 51,000 Detroit students by providing them with tablets and internet.

"Where most of the county is reeling from a health and economic crisis, the religious and corporate and philanthropic community in Detroit is rallying together to address an inequity that's plagued our children for many years," Mayor Mike Duggan said.

According to school officials, only 10-20 percent of students in Detroit have access to electronic devices or the internet. During the coronavirus pandemic, which has closed schools, limited access has become detrimental.

Detroit Public Schools Superintendent Nikolai Vitti said that beginning in June, students will be provided with tablets and internet access to bridge that gap.

"This is just an exciting morning (and) time for our students, to be able to stand here and say that the business community and our non-profit community immediately stepped up to fill a gap that has been ongoing in our community," Vitti said.

The superintendent added that while his district quickly developed a distance learning plan, certain materials were inaccessible for students who did not have internet or computer access. The investment changes that, he said.

"So, although we printed materials, we started to have a conversation of how can we allow students to not only learn throughout the shutdown, but continue learning into the summer, the fall and future years, to narrow this digital divide that has been ever present in the Detroit landscape" Vitti said.

Beginning next school year, Detroit Public Schools will begin mandatory online learning using a reading and math personalized learning platform, Vitti said. The goal is to continue learning for Detroit students outside the classroom.

"Nothing will ever replace a teacher," Vitti said. "We know that a teacher is a central component to learning in that face to face instruction is essential. But online learning allows learning to be augmented supplemented in time lost over the summertime loss and the weekend times lost, snow days can be recovered through this online learning."