On the ground
One Step Forward puts real resources into Detroit K–5 classrooms, books, basics, and burnout relief, so every child can learn and every teacher can lead. One kid, one coat, one classroom at a time.
Detroit teachers are leaving the profession at roughly double the national rate. In many K–5 classrooms, chronic absenteeism runs above 65%. K–3 reading scores fell 20–30% through the pandemic. We work in that room, the actual classroom, not the conversation about it.
One kid, one coat, one classroom at a time.
Figures drawn from DPSCD and public Detroit-education research.
Classroom grants, basic needs, and burnout relief for the people holding it together.
Books and culturally relevant materials, plus reading volunteers for the K–3 readers hit hardest by learning loss.
The unglamorous infrastructure: a washer and dryer so kids have clean clothes, resource-room build-outs, storage, warm rooms kids want to show up to.
Attendance, literacy progress, and teacher satisfaction, tracked and reported honestly.
Ralph J. Bunche Preparatory Academy (K–5) · Fisher Upper & Lower · and classrooms across DPSCD.
Literacy materials and classroom books · a washer and dryer for clean clothes · resource-room build-outs · a volunteer career day · holiday and basic-needs drives · in-classroom reading and mentorship volunteers.
STEAM, project- and place-based learning, and learning in nature for Detroit students, so a child's ZIP code doesn't decide which doors open. We help fund buses, supplies, and teacher grants.
Tell us what your room needs, books, supplies, a reading volunteer, or a hand. No bureaucracy. We read every one.
Or email us directly at hello@frdtlab.com
Volunteer, give, or partner. Tell us how you'd like to show up and we'll point you to where it lands.
Or email hello@frdtlab.com
One Step Forward is a grassroots initiative building toward formal nonprofit status. Support today goes straight to classrooms.
Schools, classrooms, and causes we've shown up for.
Real rooms of women in Detroit, building and leading without performing.
Reflections from the work of building a life and a body of work without apology. No hype. No noise, something worth sitting with.
Free. Arrives when there's something real to say. Or read past letters →
On the ground
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