Detroit Public Schools Community District — Policy Analysis 2026
Grand Total
74 / 106
69.8%
Base Score
64 / 96
Extra Credit
10 / 10
Score by Section
| Section | Score | Max | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Culturally Responsive Training | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Clear & Consistent Policies | 6 | 8 | Notes |
| Restorative Justice Practices | 4 | 8 | Notes |
| Bias Awareness & Mitigation | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Culturally Relevant Curriculum | 6 | 8 | Notes |
| Community Engagement & Collaboration | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion | 3 | 8 | Notes |
| Mental Health & Trauma-Informed Practices | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Data Collection & Analysis | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Student Voice & Leadership | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Equitable Access to Support Services | 8 | 8 | Notes |
| Continuous Evaluation & Improvement | 5 | 8 | Notes |
| Extra Credit | 10 | 10 | Notes |
Suggestions to Improve the Score
Every item below its maximum, worst gap first, with the reviewer's own notes as the rationale.
Show suggestions (26)
- 1.4 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Regular feedback/measurement on training effectiveness — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a system measuring the effectiveness of culturally responsive/diversity training specifically.
- 3.3 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Curriculum integrates conflict-resolution skills — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of academic curriculum (as opposed to discipline response) that explicitly integrates conflict-resolution skill-building lessons district-wide.
- 4.1 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Implicit bias training for staff — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a specific implicit bias training program for DPSCD staff.
- 4.3 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Cultural competence checks in hiring — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of a formal cultural-competence check built into DPSCD's hiring process, though the district does run diversity-oriented pipeline programs (On the Rise Academy).
- 7.4 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Participation in equity-focused conferences — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of DPSCD staff systematically attending external equity-focused conferences.
- 10.3 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Students facilitate restorative processes — Currently: Not Implemented (0/2 pts). No public documentation was found of students (as opposed to staff) formally facilitating restorative circles/conferences in DPSCD.
- 1.1 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mandatory cultural competency training for all staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district's strategic plan lists a competency framework including <cite index="30-2">"Learning Progressions for Required Staff Competencies: Develop a competency framework for teachers and staff that clarifies required knowledge and skills, and offers flexible options to learn and demonstrate mastery of these skills, such as the science of reading, culturally responsive and affirmin…
- 1.2 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Mentorship programs for culturally diverse staff — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). DPSCD runs a teacher mentorship program pairing veteran and new teachers district-wide, and its <cite index="143-9,143-10">alternative certification program, On the Rise Academy, has about 90% of enrollees who are non-white, compared to 30% in traditional programs</cite>, helping diversify staff, but no program is explicitly labeled as mentorship for 'culturally diverse staff.'
- 1.3 [Culturally Responsive Training]: Culturally relevant PD resources in staff learning — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). <cite index="29-4,29-5">ESL/ELL-endorsed and culturally competent educators use WIDA screener data to design individualized plans, and Multilingual Education staff provide professional learning</cite> aligned to culturally responsive instruction, and the ELA office notes <cite index="31-4">curriculum materials that provide windows into the experiences of others, as well as mirrors of the…
- 2.3 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Staff training on consistent application — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The Code mandates procedural consistency (<cite index="2-4">"The Code of Conduct requires Principals and school staff to follow"</cite> set procedures), and a 2018 revision was explicitly <cite index="180-2">aimed at bringing more consistency to discipline policies across the district, so that students at different schools would not face different consequences for the same infractions</cite>, but ded…
- 2.4 [Clear & Consistent Policies]: Centralized documentation of incidents/outcomes — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Policy requires documentation of interventions: <cite index="161-7">"Restorative practices that are engaged must also be documented in accordance to"</cite> district procedures, but a centralized incident/outcomes database is not independently confirmed.
- 3.2 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Staff training in restorative practices — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). <cite index="25-10">Godbee said his officers are trained in restorative justice practices, and that his department would be more suited to respond to issues through mediation</cite>; the Code of Conduct references a 'Restorative Practices Mentoring Program,' but training for all instructional staff district-wide is not confirmed.
- 3.4 [Restorative Justice Practices]: Peer mediation program — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Peer mediation is embedded as a discipline option: <cite index="19-4">changes "emphasized progressive discipline practices, which require school leaders to consider options such as conflict resolution, student conferences, and peer mediation before meting out punishment"</cite>, but a standalone, student-led peer mediation program is not separately confirmed.
- 4.2 [Bias Awareness & Mitigation]: Processes to review discipline data for disparities — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district acknowledged disparities, with Hope Academy's director explaining <cite index="28-1">"In Detroit, as in other parts of the country, we knew black and brown boys of color were being suspended disproportionately"</cite> leading to a classroom-suspension policy change, and the Code is reviewed annually with diverse stakeholders, but no standing formal disparity-review process is…
- 5.2 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Teacher PD on integrating diverse perspectives — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). PD is offered through the ELA office and Multilingual Education department (<cite index="29-5">Multilingual Education staff provide professional learning and help ensure instructional materials align with English Language Development standards</cite>), but a comprehensive, mandatory diverse-perspectives PD program for all teachers isn't confirmed.
- 5.3 [Culturally Relevant Curriculum]: Community collaboration for supplemental resources — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). DPSCD engages community partners (e.g., <cite index="79-2,79-3">organizations can join the Faith-Based Council and/or be matched with a DPSCD school... provide resources such as uniforms, food, or school supplies</cite>), but partnerships specifically for curriculum supplemental resources are not clearly confirmed.
- 7.1 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Ongoing anti-bias/equity training — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Blueprint 2027 names <cite index="30-2">"culture initiatives, including equity and inclusion work, that attract and retain diverse talent"</cite> as a priority, but a recurring, mandatory anti-bias training cadence is not confirmed.
- 7.2 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Workshops on culturally responsive teaching — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The competency framework explicitly references <cite index="30-2">"culturally responsive and affirming pedagogy"</cite> as a target skill area for staff, suggesting workshops exist, though a defined workshop series wasn't independently verified.
- 7.3 [Professional Development on Equity & Inclusion]: Equity topics in staff meetings/PD — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Equity and inclusion are named strategic priorities under 'Fully Staffed and Engaged Teams,' suggesting equity is addressed in district PD, though routine inclusion in every staff meeting isn't confirmed.
- 9.1 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Disaggregated discipline data system — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). As a Michigan district, DPSCD's discipline data flows into the state's <cite index="212-5">web-based system [that] ensures the secure collection of student record data</cite> and the state's Parent Transparency Dashboard, which includes disaggregated discipline reporting, but no DPSCD-specific public disaggregated discipline dashboard was found.
- 9.2 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Regular audits of discipline practices — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The annual, stakeholder-inclusive review of the Code of Conduct functions as a recurring practice review, per <cite index="19-7">Vitti said the district annually reviews its code of conduct with representatives from 'various stakeholders'</cite>, but a formal 'audit' process wasn't independently confirmed.
- 9.3 [Data Collection & Analysis]: Data-informed interventions/adjustments — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Policy changes have been tied to data and feedback (e.g., the 2018 and subsequent Code revisions, and Health Hubs expansion tied to attendance data), but a formalized, discipline-specific data-to-intervention pipeline isn't explicitly documented.
- 10.4 [Student Voice & Leadership]: Student-led peer education — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). Peer mediation is referenced as a discipline option (student-to-student conflict resolution), and the Student Leadership Course Catalog offers programming for student leaders, but a dedicated student-led peer-education program wasn't independently confirmed.
- 12.1 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Standing committee/task force for discipline equity — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The district conducts an annual, multi-stakeholder review of its Code of Conduct, and the Board maintains a Policy Ad Hoc Committee, but no standing committee specifically titled for 'discipline equity' was found.
- 12.3 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: Benchmarking vs. state/national comparators — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). DPSCD is benchmarked against peer districts in reports such as the Detroit PEER teacher retention study and state M-STEP comparisons (<cite index="117-3">researchers say DPSCD's long-term improvement over the years across all grades and subjects suggests systemic changes are paying off</cite>), but discipline-specific benchmarking against state/national comparators isn't confirmed.
- 12.4 [Continuous Evaluation & Improvement]: PD & reflective practice culture — Currently: In-work (1/2 pts). The strategic plan names <cite index="30-2">"Professional Culture: Invest in standards, training, and feedback loops to build more positive, professional relationships at schools and in central office"</cite> as a priority, suggesting a reflective PD culture, though not confirmed as comprehensive or mandatory.