New Diploma Pathways Let Students Choose Their Future

Nine graders at 11 Detroit Public neighborhood High Schools will be the first to participate in a new approach to learning starting this fall.

Superintendent Says It's Most Significant Curriculum Change In Decades

Detroit Public Schools Community District announced a new redesign of their curriculum in 11 of their neighborhood high schools on Saturday.

The district says it's the most significant structural change to the curriculum in decades.

Five New Diplomas Replace Traditional Graduation Path

Every student will be able to choose from one of 5 new diplomas:

  • Honors: AP classes to provide students with a competitive application to a four university
  • Dual Degree: An associates degree and high school diploma at the same time
  • Career Ready: Students graduate with the necessary credentials for a role right after high school
  • Arts: A competitive portfolio for college advancement
  • Michigan Merit: Signals successful completion of all high school requirements

Additionally an 8th period will be added to the school day for either a seminar class or an elective that satisfies a graduation requirement.

Superintendent Vitti Calls It A Solution For Attendance And Graduation

The total annual cost for the redesign is $13.5 million. The alumni foundation is also leading a massive fundraising effort to bridge the remaining gap.

It comes at a time when things have gradually improved in the district.

DPS' on-time 4-year graduation rate has reached an all-time high of 83.2 percent. The previous record was 78.3 percent. Those numbers place the district near the state average of 84 percent.

Those numbers include the Big 3 schools of Renaissance, Cass Technical, and Martin Luther King High Schools.

In the neighborhood schools however the numbers have lagged.

Fifty two percent of 10th graders are currently behind on graduation credits. Only 24 percent attend college.

This redesign also addresses the longstanding perception that DPS only cares about three high schools.

Principal Garcia Says It's Built To Not Allow Students To Fail

Angel Garcia has been the Principal at Western International High School since 2015. This school is part of his DNA.

My father taught here and my aunt was the principal here years ago. Garcia said he graduated from Western in 2000.

We have over 20 alumni working at Western and I think that is a testament to the community that we build in the school. Garcia said the programs that they offer also matter.

We have a lot of students wanting to follow in their family members footsteps. Garcia said Western is one of two schools where the redesign was rolled out this school year as a pilot program.

The other school is East English Village.

Western was chosen because it has one of the city's largest and most diverse student bodies.

The school opened in 1898 and it is one of the city's oldest schools.

It used to be one of three high schools in Southwest Detroit. Those schools were Chadsey and Southwestern.

The district shut down both schools in 2009 and 2012 respectively. The district consolidated all the students to Western.

It is also the only Detroit Public High School where the majority of the students are either Latino or Hispanic.

We are the home of all young people in Southwest Detroit. Garcia said Western has become much larger since the consolidation.

The other nine schools in the program will be Central, Cody, Denby, Henry Ford, Mumford, Northwestern, Osborn, Pershing, and Southeastern.

Student Camacho Wants To Become A Marine Biologist

Edgardo Camacho is a 10th grader at Western. He is currently taking three AP Math classes.

This is my first time taking AP exams. Camacho said all these exams are kind of coming in.

All these exams are kind of coming in but yeah 10th grade's been going really smooth. Camacho wants to eventually become a Marine Biologist.

The redesign is seen as a shot in the arm to the near dozen schools that have felt overlooked for decades.

For Garcia it makes the sales pitch of getting a family to choose Western a whole lot easier.

Mitchell Says High School Needs To Prepare Students For The Future

Kerrie Mitchell is President of the DPSCD Alumni Foundation.

Oftentimes one of the biggest deterrents from students wanting to go in college is being out of their comfort zone. Mitchell said the strategic plan goals are reducing chronic absenteeism.

She wants the students to really come to school so they can learn and get the best education that they can provide.

Many of the students didn't have a meaningful connection to high school because the district was still delivering it the same way you and I got it 20-plus years ago. Mitchell said.

Our students are vocal and they want to know how is high school going to prepare them for the future and what it looks like. Mitchell said.

The initiative was officially announced on Saturday night at the Foundation's Annual Gala.

I've always felt and this goes back to even when I was leading schools in Miami. Mitchell said that if you can give students a dual enrollment opportunities in high school they automatically know that they are college ready.

The real the challenge in getting kids to graduate in four years is really coupled to attendance and I think that is part of the solution here with the high school redesign. Mitchell said.

As part of the plan by junior and senior year the students will spend more time outside the school building.

The introduction of dual enrollment programs for college credit happens at schools such as Wayne State, U of M-Dearborn, Ferris State, and Wayne County Community College.

I've always said in Detroit we don't have a talent gap we have an opportunity gap. Vitti said.

Changing the approach was one of the focal points.

Once we got into the nuts and bolts of what the high school design really meant redesign really meant I was excited. Garcia said.

We've been doing the best we can with students with the resources and supports that we could. Garcia said.

Once we got into the nuts and bolts of what the high school design really meant redesign really meant I was excited.

The redesign allows students sophomores to start taking AP classes. Normally students don't start taking AP classes until their junior year.

It's like my first time taking honors in AP. Camacho said.

Sources

  • DPSCD Announces Redesign of Neighborhood Schools, ClickOnDetroit, https://clickondetroit.com/news/local/2026/05/17/dpscd-announces-redesign-of-neighborhood-schools