CHILDREN ARE CAPABLE. >> Karen: THAT IS ENCOURAGING
NEWS FOR DETROIT STUDENTS, THERE
ARE FAR TOO MANY CHILDREN AND
PARENTS LOST IN THIS NEW WORLD
OF REMOTE LEARNING.
LOCAL 4 IS DEDICATING TIME IN
OUR 4:00, 5:00, 6:00, AND 11:00
NEWSCAST TO PROVIDE INFORMATION
ABOUT EDUCATION 4 ALL.
PAULA TUTMAN HAS BEEN TALKING
WITH EDUCATORS AND FAMILIES.
TELL US MORE.
>> Paula: FIRST OF ALL, SAY THE
ANNOUNCEMENT FROM DR. NIKOLAI
VITTI IS HUGE FOR DETROIT
STUDENTS, BUT WHAT ABOUT THE
OTHER STUDENTS ACROSS MICHIGAN
FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS
WITHOUT THE CENTRALIZED
ORGANIZED LEARNING THAT THEY
NEED SO MUCH?
TO UNDERSTAND WHY REMOTE
LEARNING ISN’T WORKING FOR SO
MANY, OR HOW IT CAN WORK FOR
MANY, YOU HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHY
IT’S NOT WORKING FOR SO MANY.
ADRIAN IS 12 YEARS OLD.
HE SITS ALONE ON A BENCH, MIDDLE
OF THE AFTERNOON, THE MIDDLE OF
THE SCHOOL DAY AND HE CAN HEAR
HIS BROTHERS PLAYING BASKETBALL
NEARBY, BUT HE COUNTS REEDS AND
SEPARATES THEM AND LINES THEM UP
LIKE SOLDIERS.
LIKE SOLDIERS. HE IS A CASUALTY OF COVID-19.
HE DOES NOT HAVE A FEVER.
HE ISN’T ON A RESPIRATOR.
BUT IN THE NEARLY 30 DAYS SINCE
CLAWSON MIDDLE SCHOOL HAS SHUT
DOWN, HE PARTICIPATES IN REMOTE
TEACHING.
TEACHING. >> NOT AT ALL.
I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO ACCESS
ANYTHING AT ALL.
>> Paula: IN MICHIGAN, BY LAW,
EVERY CHILD MUST HAVE EQUAL
ACCESS TO EDUCATION, WHICH BEGS
THE QUESTION, IN A TIME OF
COVID, CAN THERE BE SUCH A THING
AS EDUCATION FOR ALL?
HIS MOTHER BELIEVES HE WILL FALL
BEHIND, GET LOST AND NEVER BE
FOUND AGAIN.
FOUND AGAIN. >> WE DON’T HAVE LAPTOPS FOR ALL
OF THEM TO USE.
SOME HAVE TABLETS, BUT THE
SCREENS ARE CRACKED SO THEY’RE
NOT GOOD.
NOT GOOD. >> Paula: TWO SINGLE WOMEN
RAISING 5 BOYS, PAIRED TOGETHER
AFTER DRUG RECOVERY PROGRAM.
THREE YEARS OF SO BRIGHT, MEGHAN
IS THE THIRD GENERATION IN HER
BLOOD LINE LIVING BELOW THE
POVERTY LINE.
POVERTY LINE. HER FEAR IS THAT HER SONS WILL
NOT BE ABLE TO BREAK THE
GENERATIONAL CYCLE OF POVERTY.
>> I WANT THEM TO GET A BETTER
EDUCATION TO BE SOMETHING IN
LIFE.
LIFE. >> Paula: THEY CAN SPEAK TREEL
AND CONFIDENTIALLY.
AND CONFIDENTIALLY. THEY SURVEYED TEACHERS.
>> THE STATE THAT PERFORMED THE
WORST, ACTUALLY, WAS STATE OF
MICHIGAN WHERE 62% OF MICHIGAN
TEACHERS REPORTED LESS THAN 1
OUT OF 4 STUDENTS WERE ATTENDING
REMOTE CLASSES.
REMOTE CLASSES. >> Paula: FISH BOWL DID A SURVEY
OF MICHIGAN TEACHERS YESTERDAY,
ASKING A SIMPLE MULTIPLE CHOICE
QUESTION: HOW MANY OF YOUR
STUDENTS ARE ATTENDING REMOTE
CLASSES?
CLASSES? >> ORIGINALLY, WE HAD
APPROXIMATELY 62% OF MICHIGAN
TEACHERS REPORT THAT LESS THAN A
QUARTER OF STUDENTS WERE
ATTENDING.
ATTENDING. IN THE LATEST SURVEY, IT’S 45%
OF MICHIGAN TEACHERS SAYING LESS
THAN A QUARTER.
>> Paula: WE ASSEMBLED
EDUCATORS, THE DECISIONMAKERS IN
THE TRICOUNTY AREA.
I ASK THAT YOU BE CANDID.
MACOMB, OAKLAND, AND WAYNE
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS, THE
PRESIDENT OF THE MICHIGAN
TEACHERS UNION, THE MEA, AND
SUPERINTENDENTS FROM
SUPERINTENDENTS FROM GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE
GEOGRAPHICALLY DIVERSE DISTRICTS.
DISTRICTS. HOW DO WE KEEP THE CHILDREN FROM
FALLING BEHIND?
FALLING BEHIND? >> THERE’S NOTHING LIKE BEING IN
THE CLASSROOM EVERY DAY, GOING
TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY.
AND THAT CAN’T BE REPLICATED.
>> Paula: LISTEN, WE KNOW THAT
MANY SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE GOING
THROUGH THIS.
THROUGH THIS. THESE ARE JUST 13 SCHOOL
DISTRICTS.
DISTRICTS. BUT, KAREN, THE LAST TIME YOU
HAD 13 EDUCATORS AND
DECISIONMAKERS IN THE ROOM,
IMAGINE THE INSIGHT THAT CAME
OUT OF THAT.
>> Karen: HOPEFULLY WE’LL SEE
SOME CHANGES FOR THESE KIDS WHO
REALLY, REALLY NEED IT.
IN TERMS OF 5:00 AND 6:00, GIVE
US A PREVIEW.
>> Paula: ABSOLUTELY.
5:30, WE’LL TALK ABOUT WHAT’S
KEEPING THESE EDUCATORS UP AT
NIGHT, WHAT WORRIES THEM.
THEY HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF
OPTIMISM.
OPTIMISM. AT 6:00, CATCHING UP.
HOW THEY’RE ALREADY WORKING,
ROLLING OUT PLANS TO CATCH THESE
STUDENTS UP AND AN ADD-ON AT
11:00.
11:00. AND THAT IS MOVING FORWARD, WHAT
WILL THE SCHOOL YEAR LOOK LIKE
MOVING FORWARD COMING THIS FALL.
>> Karen: EDUCATION 4 ALL, AT