Equitable Futures
Student-led Investigation, Collaboration and ACTION
by Amy Bloom
“The best part was that students were able to talk about big problems that are not even solved by the government and to have students bounce ideas off of each other and experts. Also, talking about what are the causes of the issues and the history (roots) that continue certain problems.” Student, Bloomfield Hills High School
“We talked to a congresswoman!” Student, Detroit Delta Preparatory Academy for Social Justice
“The best part was listening and speaking with other schools and being able to compare our project with others.” Student, Pontiac High School
“I liked being able to talk about how I feel and change something that I feel strongly about…I am excited to say my voice has a purpose. I am excited that I can actually make a change to help people that experience these bad conditions.” Student, Clarkston Jr. High School
These responses are from high school students from across the metro Detroit region who met on Saturday, May 21 at the Damon Keith Center for Civil Rights for a student-led conference to discuss equity issues.
The schools included Pontiac High School, Royal Oak High School, West Bloomfield High School, Clarkston Junior High, Bloomfield Hills High School, Arts Academy in the Woods, Henry Ford High School, and Detroit Delta Preparatory Academy for Social Justice.
Students shared their research and ideas for improving the region with each other and with experts from the Detroit Equity Action Lab, who provided feedback to students on their work and shared their knowledge and efforts to reduce inequities in the region.
The event at Wayne State was part of a larger project created by Oakland Schools and the University of Michigan, known as Equitable Futures. This inquiry-driven, project-based teaching module was designed to give students agency - and empower them to become active and responsible citizens. Placed in the context of a U.S. History course, students took up the driving question:
“How much progress have we made towards equity and social justice since the 1950s and what work do we still need to do to create an equitable future?”
Students were immersed in data about the state of equity in the US and in the Detroit Metropolitan region with respect to four realms:
1) Quality education
2) Healthy environment
3) Equal justice under the law
4) Economic opportunity
Using Tech to Tear Down Walls
This project was unique in many ways. During the five weeks of learning, students who were traditionally segregated by race and socioeconomic status used technology to share their research and ideas with each other — framing learning around a purpose more compelling than just getting a grade.
Students used historical knowledge about the 20th century in metropolitan Detroit and the country to explain the causes of existing inequities.
They used what they learned about the work of civil rights leaders and tactics to inform their action plans.
Working in teams, students collaborated to craft inquiry questions, engaged in the recursive process of research, and presented their findings to an authentic audience — members of the Detroit Equity Action Lab.
Congresswoman Brenda Lawrence also stopped by to hear what students had to say!
According to Peter Hammer, Director of the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, “There are no magic bullets to make things better in the region, but this type of program has to be part of the solution. In Asia they say you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time. Equitable Futures is an important bite.”
Amy Bloom, JD, is a Social Studies/History Consultant at Oakland Schools and an Executive Board Member of the Center for the Study of Citizenship at Wayne State University.
Questions about Equitable Futures? Contact Amy at Amy.Bloom@oakland.k12.mi.us or 248. 209.2005
Photos by Equitable Futures Team
