New Data Show Detroit Student Performance Lowest in Nation for Urban Students
ROYAL OAK, MICH. (December 18, 2013) – Detroit Public School student achievement continues to be devastatingly low – and has changed very little in the last four years – according to today’s release on student performance in the country’s largest urban school districts from the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP).
The NAEP’s Trial Urban District Assessment (TUDA) shows Detroit’s performance is deplorable, ranking last in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math, compared to 20 other large urban districts around the country, including school districts with high levels of poverty such as Cleveland, Baltimore, and Milwaukee.
Although Detroit charter schools were not included in the results released today, state assessment data show that many Detroit charter school students perform as low or lower than Detroit Public School students.
“Clearly we have an education crisis in our state, regardless of sector – traditional or charter public schools,” said Amber Arellano, executive director of the Education Trust-Midwest, a non-partisan education policy and research organization that works to raise achievement among all Michigan students. “We’ve known this for years, and these new data reinforce that we are not doing enough to better serve our students. As a state, we need to focus on and invest in proven strategies and policies that raise achievement, especially in our urban centers such as Detroit.”
TUDA results provide a snapshot of student performance in 21 large urban public school districts nationwide and are an important gauge of how Detroit students measure up to other urban students.
Detroit’s scores did not significantly change since 2011, the last year the tests were given. Eighth-graders saw their average scores drop six points in math in 2013, the largest score change since 2011.
The Education Trust-Midwest is Michigan’s only data-driven, non-partisan statewide research and advocacy organization focused on what is best for Michigan students. Our mission is to work for the high achievement of all students, particularly low-income, African-American, Latino and American-Indian students in Michigan, and to provide honest, reliable information and expertise to our state’s families, education and civic leaders and policymakers.
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