DEARBORN – The Michigan Department of Education last week released its annual rankings of public schools based off of academic proficiency, participation, attendance and graduation rates. The state classifies each school as either a reward, focus or priority school, based on its findings. 

The news was both good and bad for Dearborn Public Schools. Seven schools in the city were listed as a reward schools, based on top test scores or most improved test scores. Those schools are Lindberg Elementary, Henry Ford Early College, Howard Elementary, Howe Trainable Center, Becker Elementary, Maples Elementary and McCollough Elementary. 

On the other hand, six schools in the district were classified as focus schools. That ranking is primarily based on having the largest gap between the top 30 percent and bottom 30 percent of students. Those school are Dearborn High, Haigh Elementary, Nowlin Elementary, Salina Elementary and Intermediate and William Ford Elementary.

This marks the second year in a row Dearborn High has been classified as a focus school, although the district notes that it can usually take up to three to four years for a school to work its way out of that ranking. 

On a positive note, the district-wide Michigan Merit Examination (MME) scores at all three high schools have gone up year-to-year. The district did see a slight down tick in the subject of math, but compared to five years ago, it has still significantly increased.

“Graduation rates have increased at the high schools for the second straight year which is a sign that our award winning eight step plan to increase graduation rates is working,” said Dearborn Public Schools Spokesman David Mustonen. “We have more than 50 percent of our high school students taking dual enrollment classes. Those students taking dual enrollment classes have taken more [classes] than any other district in the state.  Students graduating from our high schools are going on to attend some of the best universities in our country, including Harvard and Yale.”

The district said despite the improvements, it still believes the state’s ranking system can be misconstrued at times. Last year, for example, Bridge Magazine, an independent think tank, ranked schools in the district on a different criteria. Out of 500 districts in the state, Dearborn came in 14th place. 

“I think our improved graduation rates, test scores and programs that are aimed at improving student success all need to be considered when evaluating the success of the district and our students,” Mustonen said. “We offer a variety of programs to meet the academic needs of our students and that too needs to be considered when evaluating the success of the district.”  

Last year, a dark cloud was cast on the district when Edsel Ford High School was ranked as a priority school and had required state intervention. The district notes that this year the school is no longer classified as such, due to a transformation plan implemented at the beginning of the 2013-2014 school year that included extended hours four out of five days a week. 

Edsel Ford High School jumped from the 1st percentile last year in the top to bottom ranking to the 29th percentile this year. The state also factors the MEAP and MME scores to determine its classification.

According to Mustonen, modifications made at Edsel Ford within the last year have addressed both instruction methods and student learning methods.

“Identifying students early, before they fall behind, has been a key part in helping the school improve,” he said.  

The district will move forward with an extra hour of instruction four days a week in the 2014-2015 school year. Any changes or alterations to that schedule could be modified in the winter or next fall. 

Previously, many local parents had faulted the city for re-drawing the school district’s map in recent years and busing students who attended Salina in Dearborn’s south end neighborhoods to Edsel Ford High School. 

While Salina’s elementary and middle schools are made up primarily of Yemeni American students, that is not the case at Edsel Ford, where south end students have been placed with students from Dearborn’s west end neighborhoods, who are primarily Caucasian.

According to local resident William Ali, who had three children attend Edsel Ford and who served as a staff member in previous years, there is a constant “cultural clash” between students at the high school. He said the district needs to work on addressing the issue. 

“These kids are going into an environment where they aren’t socially accepted,” Ali said. “There are a lot of kids who are doing well and then there are a lot who aren’t. Some kids feel west end kids don’t like them. They don’t feel wanted and they don’t feel comfortable over there.”

Ali said many children grow up in the south end, isolated from the rest of the city while attending Salina’s elementary and middle schools. Once the students are bused to Edsel Ford, many of them experience “culture shock.” Previously, students in the south end were able to attend Stout Middle School in Dearborn’s west end, which exposed them to a diverse student body from early on. Ali said that is no longer the case.  

“When I worked with Youth Intervention at the high school, the kids left the school not knowing anything about each other,” he said. “They were socially divided. I don’t see it getting better until there are programs made that are going to help these kids feel that they are part of the environment.”

He added that students who feel socially uncomfortable are experiencing a negative academic impact as well. Many students who were involved in sports at Salina’s elementary and middle schools have refrained from engaging in those extracurricular activities at Edsel Ford. 

Ali said he’s approached the school board and superintendent numerous times about implementing diversity programs at the high school to ease the tension, but the idea is constantly brushed off. 

In coming months, Ali plans to volunteer his time by setting up an area at either Salina School or ACCESS for students to come and directly address issues they may be facing. 

“There are major issues there and I’ve already been talking to people in the city, and I’m hopefully planning a conference in the near future to talk to them about the challenges we are facing,” he said. “”There’s no alternative but to be more aggressive on this issue. I don’t believe anything is going to change for our children at Edsel until we start doing something.”