Our Work is Transformational || The Yass Prize
“DAA staff are trained to see all of the things that make our students humans first. Students, yes, but more importantly they are young people existing in a world we cultivated in our building where they belong, feel seen and valued for just being! ”
If you haven’t heard yet, the Detroit Achievement Academy (DAA) district was named a semifinalist in the prestigious $1,000,000 Yass Prize competition for innovation in education!
While none of the DAA staff do this work for accolades or public attention, we are honored and thrilled to be acknowledged for all of the hard work we do in our respective roles each day.
The esteemed privilege to be among a small group of fellow school communities recognized for our efforts confirms that the work that DAA has been doing for the past 11 years is among the best in the country. DAA defies what is possible for a small tuition-free charter school on the Northwest side of Detroit.
Through a very intense and thorough vetting process, the Yass Prize highlights creative school communities for unapologetically exhibiting the following qualities:
Sustainability - meaning your practice can be funded independently without continual philanthropy by utilizing public programs that fund the entity where students are learning, regardless of sector.
Transformational with innovative new approaches that employ 21st century knowledge and technologies, changing the way students are educated and rich in content that is relevant and impactful across all communities.
Outstanding, or demonstrably successful by every measure that matters.
Permissionless — meaning your work requires no permission and is free to exist and thrive without dependence on regulatory bodies whose rules are often at odds with parent demands and student needs.
I’m grateful to be a part of a school district that is innately Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless by design. The DAA staff overwhelmingly feel high levels of fulfillment knowing that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. But what keeps us doing the work day in and day out, are the kids - and the transformational work that we’re allowed to do with them every single day!
When I was pursuing my undergraduate degree in Elementary Education, there were so many people who questioned why I was going “into education” when so many educators were leaving Education for a number of reasons. But I couldn’t understand why I would not go into Education. So many local elders, educators and community leaders poured so much into me as a young person, so it was always my heart’s desire to do exactly that same thing for the next generation in the neighborhood in which I grew up.
I’m beyond grateful to be able to do that meaningful and transformational work at Detroit Achievement Academy- filled with students who look like me, less than a block away from the high school from which I graduated, and less than 5 minutes away from the home where I currently live. What a joy it is to lead such a powerful incubator for the next lawyers and doctors, and current youth advocates musicians and critical thinkers
If you come to DAA on a school day at 8:00am sharp, you may be floored by the amount of students literally running to the front door every morning excited to be greeted by their school leaders and other staff members. You will see each adult in the building calling students by name, acknowledging the “little things” (that are really the “big things”) like a new haircut or hairstyle, a new shoe or even a downtrodden head. DAA staff are trained to see all of the things that make our students humans first. Students, yes, but more importantly they are young people existing in a world we cultivated in our building where they belong, feel seen and valued for just being!
We don’t take the power of this culture and climate lightly at all because we’ve been able to see its impact on our community in real time. In our school’s very short time of existence, we have alumni who have studied abroad in France, started their own businesses, and secured vehicle design internships with Ford Motor Company.
Moreover, the countless examples of students entering our school from other schools full of achievement gaps, apprehension and doubt, but eventually transforming into joyful civically engaged citizens overwhelms our hearts with fulfillment.
I would like to thank the Yass family for considering us for this honor, but I would also like to thank the entire DAA community (staff, students, families, community partners and donors and supporters around the world). With your partnership, we are transforming the world!