Yesterday afternoon, The Generation Project was featured in a segment on The Internet Advisor radio show on WJR, Detroit's leading AM radio station.  Both co-founders (Jessica and myself) joined the hosts in-studio to discuss The Generation Project, its genesis, current gifts we are implementing in our pilot program, and our vision for the future.   You can download an MP3 of the segment featuring The Generation Project by right-clicking here¹ or you can stream a slightly edited version below:

Today the Detroit Free Press reported on the newest plan to cut the city's $139-million deficit by closing up to 18 schools. With shrinking enrollments over the last few years, the schools don't have the bodies to warrant operating half full (or half empty?) buildings. There are 52 schools currently being considered for closure which means 52 principals, 52 staffs of teachers, 52 groups of innocent children are now waiting anxiously to find out if it is their neighborhood school that will be next on the chopping block. 

As the city with the lowest graduation rate in the entire country, this newest news strikes a chord.  Students will need to be shuffled around to new schools next year in a district where working towards a high school diploma is clearly not the norm.  How many kids will slink into the shadows now?  With Detroit laying off hoards of employees every week and school enrollment doing a parallel nose dive, the bitter truth is that the current situation is not going to improve before the district decides which schools to close this summer.  Detroit might be sinking but that doesn't mean that the students that occupy her classrooms should pay the price.  The hope, of course, is that the DPS--even in the midst of its budget crisis--has set aside some resources to help acclimate the students who are required to change schools and minimize the disruption it will cause to their academic careers.  It's the least that can be done to provide a brighter future for some of Detroit's children.  If this news make you feel anxious, too, consider doing something to encourage hope and purpose for a child or school in Detroit.   

Photo credits: http://www.detroityes.com/webisodes/2008/080410-the50/103-McMillanSchool.htm, http://flickr.com/photos/51586455@N00/2807960166/, http://www.flickr.com/photos/detroitderek/1392880463/

During the last month, I had the privilege of meeting with numerous principals across the city of Detroit.  Some took me on extensive tours of their buildings, presenting vibrant communities of learning where students appeared happy and engaged.  In one school I met two young men, dressed in suits, on their way to a choral performance.  At another school, the strength of community was on display in a fitness room that had been opened for family use. At still another school, I witnessed the unwavering dedication of parents who were gathered for a school-sponsored session about better understanding their adolescents. 

A less rosy reality, however, was an undercurrent in many meetings.  With budget cuts looming in the city and numerous programs long gone, many of the principals with whom I met were worried.  Detroit’s population is dwindling, which means that schools consistently have to deal with decreased funding.  The recent turmoil in the city has led to even greater cut-backs, and, as of yesterday, it also looks like the district is ready to be taken over by the state.

If you know Detroit, you know that the city is in bad shape and that its high school graduation rate is the lowest in the country among large districts.   But, like struggling schools everywhere, there are dedicated educators in the Detroit Public Schools who are working hard to set their students on the right path for the future.  The Generation Project is thus pleased to announce that, starting this month, we will begin implementing gifts in the Detroit Public Schools and in a few other districts across the country. More...