The Detroit Public Schools Community District has a new program to help combat the ongoing literacy struggle for its high school students. According to ABC7 News Detroit, results from the spring 2024 end-of-year assessment showed that fifty-four percent of eighth graders tested at reading levels two or more grades below reading level. Superintendent Dr. Nikolai Vitti says this has a domino effect for students as they enter and continue high school, as they’re already at a disadvantage.   

Now, the District is offering any high school student the chance to earn $2,000 for attending after-school literacy tutoring at their school. Applications for the program have been made public, but an official start date isn’t yet known, though it's expected to launch this fall. 

The program involves in-person tutoring from trained District employees. One-on-one sessions and small group sessions are available. Students must attend the program four days a week for an hour each session. 

The program is one of the results of a 2020 settlement that stems from the “right to read” lawsuit. In 2016, seven Detroit public school students sued, alleging they were denied the opportunity of a quality education. In the lawsuit, they cited poor building conditions, a shortage of textbooks and other learning materials, and poorly qualified teachers, among other complaints, as noted by Chalkbeat Detroit. The $94.4 million award goes directly to literacy-related programs for Detroit Public Schools. 

In his interview with ABC7 Detroit, Vitti noted that reading isn’t the only concern. He says many students can read, but they don’t have good comprehension skills.

Vitti says several factors impact high school students playing catch-up on the literacy front, including not having enough time for additional lessons on top of the necessary credits they need to graduate. Another huge contributor is the absentee rate. Furthermore, some students are so discouraged that they don't seek help. With the financial incentive, the hope is to encourage students to do the work needed to progress.