Community Resources and Educational Opportunities in Detroit: Baseline Assessment of Academic Progress Using the 2005-2009 Cohort of High School Students

Abstract

This research report contributes a community resource theory of change applied to a Detroit Public Schools (DPS) case study of high school students. The research study examines changes in Detroit Education from 2000 to 2010, including policy and demographic changes. We also examined the impact of community resources on educational opportunities using a 2005-2009 student cohort database, Census data, and information on community resources. We examined three student outcomes: on-time graduation rate, grade point average (GPA), and school transfer during high school. The study proposes and tests a community resources theory of educational opportunity supporting Detroit students. The results support a community resource theory of change that includes more community-school partnerships in neighborhoods.