Philanthropist Wally Prechter challenges donors to invest in Detroit youth and educators
A new gift to the University of Michigan School of Education focused on serving Detroit youth and their teachers will fuel the teaching and learning already underway at a recently launched K-12 public school in northwest Detroit.
The School at Marygrove is empowering Detroit students to confront inequity, advance justice, and become leaders in their community. Teachers support students as they become problem solvers through unique courses and opportunities to influence their own school and surrounding neighborhoods.
A new gift to the University of Michigan School of Education focused on serving Detroit youth and their teachers is fuel for the exciting teaching and learning already underway on the cradle-to-career campus in northwest Detroit.
Local philanthropist Waltraud “Wally” Prechter (ABEd '79) is offering to match up to $1 million in gifts that support the School of Education’s work on the Detroit P-20 Partnership, which brings together the U-M School of Education and the Detroit Public Schools Community District. Qualifying donations will support teacher education students with scholarships and training in Detroit; advance curriculum development, implementation, and evaluation; and further the professional growth of Detroit educators.
The School at Marygrove is part of the P-20 educational partnership in northwest Detroit. In addition to featuring a community-engaged, justice-oriented educational experience, the school is the site of a teaching school modeled on medical training. U-M education students and recent graduates (called “teaching residents”) work under the supervision of the school’s teaching staff and U-M faculty. The goal of this strategy is to train highly qualified teachers and retain them both in the profession and in the city.
For decades, Prechter and her late husband Heinz have been generous supporters of both Detroit and the University of Michigan. A strong believer in the transformative nature of education, Prechter is making this gift to recruit and retain outstanding teachers in the city, improve teaching practice and learning outcomes in Detroit, and support Detroit youth and their families.
Prechter said about the gift, “Investing in innovative and forward-looking approaches to education is crucial. I hope our matching gift will act as a catalyst for others to support this groundbreaking educational partnership.”
Elizabeth Birr Moje, dean of the University of Michigan School of Education, emphasized the potential of gifts like Prechter’s to bring about the kind of change that many have called for. Moje said, “We frequently hear people say that they want education to be better. Mrs. Prechter is challenging all of us to make significant strides together, right here in Detroit, and she’s committed to raising the resources needed for us to be successful.”
Moje is particularly focused on how Prechter’s gift will lead to the development of high-quality materials and practices that enable Detroit teachers and students to do their very best work. “Mrs. Prechter’s gift will allow the university and DPSCD to commit the very best minds, hearts, and efforts toward teaching and learning for social justice,” Moje said.
Prechter is a member of the School of Education’s Dean’s Advisory Council, among her many connections to U-M. In addition to her long-standing support of the School of Education, Prechter has made pivotal contributions to the university including the foundational gift to establish The Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Program.
To learn more about the P-20 partnership, The School at Marygrove, and the collaborators’ vision for an educational campus that is strongly connected to its Detroit neighborhood, visit soe.umich.edu/marygrove.