Catherine Ferguson Academy stays open

It took compromises, rallies and even a visit from Danny Glover, but the
Catherine Ferguson Academy, which provides education and child care for
pregnant students and young mothers, will remain open, operating as a
charter school.

Catherine Ferguson principal Ansenath Andrews is
the force behind this 25-year-old school, which graduates 90 percent of its 250
female students while providing daycare and on-site medical care to
another 100 young children. One of 20 schools slated to close amid DPS’s
budget deficits, this happy headline is a victory for all Detroiters.

Excerpt:

Ferguson was designated a Breakthrough High School in 2004 — one of
just 12 recognized by the National Association of Secondary School
Principals for outstanding achievement among schools with high poverty
rates. Housed in a dingy 90-year-old building — that somehow students
and staff make seem beautiful — Ferguson sends almost all of its
graduates to two- or four-year colleges. In a district where high school
students miss an average of 45 school days a year, Ferguson reports
average daily attendance of 97 percent.

Read more here.