The kids are not all right. That seems to be true, at least, when it comes to their education in Michigan.

Only one-fourth of high school juniors are college-ready, based on their SAT scores.

Younger students are struggling, too. Around 44% of students in third through eighth grades are proficient in reading, and about 35% are proficient in math. Third graders posted the lowest reading scores in the 12-year history of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress, known as the M-STEP.

Detroit is the exception. Scores in the Detroit Public Schools Community District rose in both subjects while the state average fell.

Third grade reading was up to 14.1% proficient and third grade math was up to 20.1%. Detroit’s third graders also set an 11-year high in reading last year, and they climbed again this year. 

They did it all while carrying more than other public school districts in Michigan. Detroit students continue to face the outcomes of decades of disinvestment and systemic racism. Nearly 4 in 5 Detroit students qualify for subsidized meals.

There are many reasons students are having a rough time. The COVID-19 pandemic strained vital contact between teachers and students and drove absenteeism to record highs, though chronic absenteeism has fallen four years running and now sits at 27.2% statewide.

Cyekeia Lee, executive director of the Detroit College Access Network, says students’ attention is being hijacked by social media in a way she compares to addiction. Students are also turning to artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT to write papers and solve problems.

How concerning are these factors? What does it all mean for the future of our workforce and society more broadly?

Lee joined host Robyn Vincent to discuss what “college ready” actually measures, what it means to build meaningful access to college and what she tells young people who come into her office saying they want to be influencers when they grow up.

Hear the full conversation using the media player above.

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The Coleman A Young Foundation’s years long efforts to get a statue of the former Detroit mayor in the U.S. Capitol is coming to fruition.

Funders such as the DTE Foundation, Bedrock, The Ilitch family and business people John A. James and Suzanne Shank have donated to the cause.

The statue will be in the Capitol building’s National Statutory Hall Collection, replacing a marble sculpture of Lewis Cass, a former governor of Michigan who supported slavery.

Young was Detroit’s longest serving and first Black mayor. The Charles H. Wright Museum will host an event Tuesday, Oct. 20 to celebrate the announcement.  

Additional Headlines for Oct. 16, 2026

Detroit School board candidates and voter awareness

Citizen Detroit is asking its audience to help spread the word about the 25 candidates running for Detroit School Board this election by watching and sharing the candidate interviews on their website.

Candidate interviews have been available for several weeks on Citizen Detroit’s site.

The candidates answered questions about their priorities for students, what they hope to accomplish on the board and what they wish they had experienced as students themselves.

The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 3.  

Extreme weather has taken a toll on sewer systems

Heavy rains have overwhelmed Metro Detroit sewer systems in recent years flooding rivers, streams, and basements. Local leaders and water experts met in Southfield today to talk about better ways to manage stormwater.

Oakland County Water Resources Commissioner Jim Nash says regional cooperation is critical. 

“Stormwater does not follow political borders. It follows river systems. 

It follows drainage districts. So, where the water flows really matters. All the communities in Oakland County and regionally are working together on a whole broad array of work.” 

Nash says green infrastructure absorbs rainwater and keeps it out of sewers. Oakland County recently planted 30,000 square feet of trees and shrubs in two Pontiac parks that were prone to flooding. 

Davis Aerospace Technical High School returns to Coleman A. Young International Airport

The Davis Aerospace Technical High School is returning to Coleman A. Young International Airport after 13 years at a different location.

The Detroit Public Schools Community District has converted the airport’s former main terminal building into a school for aviation training for Detroit. This marks one of several investments into the city airport over the last year, including the addition of companies MyFlight Tours and AvFlight.  

Detroit Evening Report will be back in the new year

The Detroit Evening Report is taking a hiatus until Jan. 2027! We’re planning to come back bigger and better in the new year. Stay tuned.