Dearborn Heights School District No. 7 Doing Big Things for Students

When Dr. Tyrone Weeks arrived in Dearborn Heights to serve as superintendent of Dearborn Heights School District No. 7, he was pleasantly surprised to discover a thriving sense of community in the district. Now entering his second year as superintendent, Weeks says he is pleased to see dedicated parents walking children to school and volunteering their time, many of whom are graduates of the district's Annapolis High School themselves. What he really finds impressive however, are the families from outside the city who enroll their children in the district's schools and transport them there as well. "They could be anywhere else but they want to be with us, that makes us very special," he says. "Our moniker is the D7 Difference, and what we believe the D7 Difference is is meeting the needs of our students and making sure we provide them a space where learning is fun and engaging."

Dearborn Heights' D7 District is made up of six schools, which includes a Great Start Readiness Pre-K Program (GSRP), and serves a little more than 2600 students. "Academically, we do a lot of work to service the needs of our students and we're very intentional about making sure we provide kids the opportunity to, what I call live the best version of themselves. We do a lot of after-school supports for students," says Weeks. "We're very fortunate to have educators who are committed to supporting our students and also committed to growing personally as professionals to meet the needs of a growing, diverse population of students." In addition, the district offers a Virtual Academy High School Program which features 100 percent online learning. The online program is ideal for students who struggle with a traditional school day routine due to attendance problems, chronic health issues, or discipline issues.

"We are a traditional K through 12 program in terms of college readiness. Our goal is to make sure that when students graduate, they have the skills to go on to college. We do a lot of work with vocational programs as well." The two other districts which serve Dearborn Heights students, the Crestwood School District and the Westwood Community Schools District, partner with D7 at the high school level to offer a variety of Career Technical Education (CTE) programs for all high school students while avoiding the cost associated with duplication of or overlapping programs. Available programs include Computer-aided Design (CAD), Health Occupation, Certified Nursing Assistant, and Criminal Justice/Public Safety. All are designed to give students a head start on preparing for career or additional training at a trade school, as Weeks explains that not every student has plans for college.

For those students who do have plans for college, D7 recently introduced the D7 Promise Program which allows students who meet certain criteria to transition to college free of cost. The program is operated in partnership with Henry Ford College and the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Weeks says district leaders are in the process of developing a dual enrollment program for high school students which will give them exposure to college-level course and instructors while attending Annapolis High School. Students will eventually graduate earning both a high school diploma and an associate degree and they can then transfer to the University of Michigan-Dearborn to attain a four-year bachelor's degree.

Providing opportunities for young people to aim high and achieve is a mission for Superintendent Weeks. "Education saved my life. I grew up at a time in Detroit where our neighborhood was surrounded by adverse circumstances. But it was my teachers in school that told me that I could be something, that I could be great if I applied myself," he recalls. "I've given my life to education and as a result, it's given me so very much, so my obligation is to just pay it forward."

Looking ahead, Weeks says he wants to see D7 continue to grow and develop academic and support programs to enhance students' experiences. He looks forward to developing relationships with district staff, families,and community members. He says it is an honor to serve students as superintendent and to help them find their way as they begin to move from Dearborn Heights out into the world. "We're a small district," he says. "We like to say we're a small district doing big things."

To find out more about what's happening in Dearborn Heights' D7, go to http://www.district7.net.