| "A National Disgrace" | |
|---|---|
| Dan Rather Reports episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 17 |
| Directed by | Steven Tyler |
| Presented by | Dan Rather |
| Produced by | Sari Aviv |
| Cinematography by | Lucian Read |
| Editing by | Carla Ruff |
| Production code | 617 |
| Original air date | May 10, 2011 |
| Running time | 105 minutes |
Dan Rather Reports: "A National Disgrace" (Episode #617) [1] is a two-hour television report about the Detroit Public Schools (DPS), in Detroit, Michigan, that aired on AXS TV on May 10, 2011. Presented by journalist Dan Rather, this episode was part of his investigative documentary series. [2] It explores a political struggle between the Detroit Board of Education, the governing body of DPS, and Robert Bobb, the emergency manager appointed by the State of Michigan after the city declared bankruptcy. [3]
The filming took about 18 months and included interviews with DPS school board members, teachers and administrators, and students and parents. [4] The production filmed a Detroit Board of Education meeting in which the board announced that superintendent Connie Calloway, who held the position for 18 months, was fired. [5]
According to Rather, the failure of DPS is a failure of a top-down educational system. [6] He argued that the problems are related to public schools in the entire United States and are not limited to Detroit. [7]
At the time of the program, residents of the City of Detroit had a functional illiteracy rate of 50%. [8] The title originates from a statement made about Detroit public schools by Arne Duncan, the U.S. Secretary of Education. [2]
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The report explores the problems associated with the city's struggles with declining economy, poverty of many residents, and how the schools are performing. [9] It states that in 2009 the DPS district scored the lowest ever National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test results. [8] Henry Ford High School is featured in the program. [1]
Jonathan Oosting of MLive said that "Rather's report is sure to upset some residents -- and of course local leaders -- tired of seeing Detroit in the national media for all the wrong reasons." [7] After the documentary was aired, Bobb accused Rather of ignoring efforts by the Bobb-led administration to reform the district. Bobb argued that it "grossly and completely neglects an entire year or more of transformative efforts to change the system." [3] DPS board president Anthony Adams also criticized the documentary, saying that it "really bashes the city, bashes the district, doesn't really talk about the accomplishments and the great strides that we've made." [7]
AXS TV is an American cable television channel. Majority-owned by Anthem Sports & Entertainment, it is devoted primarily to music-related programming and combat sports – including boxing, mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.
Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) is a school district that covers all of the city of Detroit, Michigan, United States and high school students in the insular city of Highland Park. The district, which replaced the original Detroit Public Schools (DPS) in 2016, provides services to approximately 50,000 students, making it the largest school district in the state. The district has its headquarters in the Fisher Building of the New Center area of Detroit.
Robert C. Bobb is a former appointed official who was the Emergency Financial Manager for the Detroit Public Schools until 2011. In addition to having been employed by the school district, he received a salary from private foundations that promote school choice and privatization, and he owns a private/public sector consulting firm.
The Maccabees Building is a historic building located at 5057 Woodward Avenue in Midtown Detroit, Michigan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and is currently owned by Wayne State University.
Southwestern High School was a high school in Southwest Detroit, Michigan. It is part of the Detroit Public Schools district. The school's area, Southwest Detroit, has the majority of Detroit's Latino population. The school was located in a three-story building. It closed in 2012.
The Michigan State Fair is an annual event originally held from 1849 to 2009 in Detroit, the state's largest city. In 2009 the governor declined to fund it because of other priorities.
The 2010 Michigan gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Jennifer Granholm was prohibited by the state's Constitution from seeking a third term. This resulted in a large pool of candidates which was whittled down, when the May 11 filing deadline passed, to two Democrats and five Republicans. Both the Cook Political Report and the non-partisan Rothenberg Political Report rated the election as leaning Republican.
Dan Rather Reports is a weekly news television show hosted by former CBS news anchor Dan Rather and airing on AXS TV from 2006 until 2013.
Darnell Earley is an American public administrator and municipal manager. Formerly the city manager of Saginaw, Michigan and emergency manager of Flint, Michigan, Earley served as temporary mayor of Flint after the recall of Woodrow Stanley. Earley was appointed emergency manager of the Detroit Public Schools system in January 2015. He resigned that position in February 2016. In January 2021 he was indicted on felony charges regarding the Flint water crisis.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago Detroit Branch Office is the only branch office of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. It is part of the 7th district and its code is 7-G. It is currently located at 1600 East Warren Avenue, near I-75 in Detroit's Eastern Market Historic District. The office occupies 17 acres (6.9 ha) and cost $80 million to build. The Detroit branch was founded in 1927 and is currently headed by Robert Wiley. Each branch of the Federal Reserve Banks has a board of either seven or five directors, a majority of whom are appointed by the parent Federal Reserve Bank; the others are appointed by the Board of Governors. Branch directors serve staggered three-year terms. One of the members appointed by the Federal Reserve Board is designated annually as chairman of the board of that Branch in a manner prescribed by the parent Federal Reserve Bank.
Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) serves the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan and parts of eight surrounding townships covering 125 square miles (320 km2). The district operates 20 elementary schools, 2 K-8 schools, 6 middle schools, 4 comprehensive high schools, 1 alternative high school, 3 preschools and 1 adult education program; the district maintains 640 acres (2.6 km2) of real estate and 3,300,000 square feet (310,000 m2) of building space. The Ann Arbor Public Schools is the 8th largest school district among 555 districts in Michigan. The district is one of the best in Michigan, and it has a statewide reputation for academic excellence.
Henry Ford High School is located at 20000 Evergreen Road, on the northwest side of Detroit, Michigan. The facility is staffed and operated by Detroit Public Schools. Ford High opened its doors on September 5, 1957; it was constructed to accommodate an overflow of students from nearby Cooley, Mumford, and Redford high schools. In 2007, DPS closed Redford High School. As a result, Henry Ford now serves the Detroit sub-community of Old Redford. DPS will re-assume control of Ford High in fall 2017.
Kettering High School was a four-year high school within the Detroit Public Schools system. The school, located in the low-income Gratiot Town/Kettering neighborhood, was around 1,200 students under capacity at its closure in 2012.
Osborn High School, also known as Osborn Academy of Mathematics is a public high school in the Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD), located in Northeast Detroit.
Catherine Ferguson Academy (CFA) was a public high school in Detroit, Michigan for pregnant girls and teen mothers, in operation from 1986 through 2014. The school had an urban farm in its backyard and provided day care and preschool education for the students' children.
Financial emergency is a state of receivership for the State of Michigan's local governments.
Detroit Day School for the Deaf (DDSD) was a public school for deaf students in Detroit, Michigan for grades Pre-Kindergarten through 8. It was a part of Detroit Public Schools.
Warren Cleage Evans is an American law enforcement official, lawyer, and politician serving as the county executive of Wayne County, Michigan since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, Evans previously served as the chief of the Detroit Police Department from 2009 to 2010, and as the Wayne County Sheriff from 2003 to 2009.
University Prep Schools is a K-12 charter school system headquartered in the New Center area of Detroit. It has two districts within its system: University Preparatory Academy (UPA) and University Prep Science & Math (UPSM).
John Edward James is an American businessman and politician serving as the U.S. representative from Michigan's 10th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, James was the party's nominee in the U.S. Senate elections in Michigan in 2018 and 2020, losing the elections to Democratic incumbents Debbie Stabenow and Gary Peters, respectively.
More than 100 people gathered for the meeting, including a camera crew from 'Dan Rather Reports'.