This story originally appeared in Chalkbeat Detroit, a nonprofit news organization committed to covering education. Sign up for Chalkbeat Detroit’s free newsletter to keep up with the city’s public school system and Michigan education policy.
By Hannah Dellinger
Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti and students (Facebook photo)
Employing student influencers is the latest strategy in the Detroit school district’s ongoing efforts to grow enrollment in city schools.
District officials unveiled a plan last week to hire 23 students to share positive messages about their schools in the Detroit Public Schools Community District. The high schoolers will create and share social media content aimed at winning over prospective students and parents, as well as engaging their peers.
The initiative is one of several new ideas the district is considering to reverse a 20-year trend of dwindling enrollment.
“Our students are at the center of everything that we do,” said Sharlonda Buckman, assistant superintendent of Family and Community Engagement, during last week’s meeting. “They have real stories, real accomplishments, real growth.”
When families hear students’ stories and see possibilities for their children, their perceptions about the district may shift, Buckman added.
Many factors have contributed to enrollment declines, including a shrinking population in Detroit, lower birthrates, state emergency management of the district, and COVID. The district also competes with charter schools, which enroll about half of kids in the city, as well as suburban districts that heavily recruit Detroit students.
Traditional strategies to attract students – including canvassing neighborhoods, hosting Summer on the Block events, expanding prekindergarten, focusing on reenrollment rates, and putting up billboards – have produced modest results, according to the district.
The district estimates it currently has more than 49,200 students – an increase of about 400 compared to the official count at the end of last school year.
Board member Monique Bryant said during a July committee meeting she wanted to see students tell the stories of their own schools.
“I think we have an opportunity to use our students more, and I think we get more bang for our buck than what we’re spending now,” she said.
