A.D. 1974 – After many years of successfully operating the Plymouth United Church of Christ Day Care Center, at the urging of his wife, Elizabeth Hood and under the guidance and direction of Lily B. Thompson, Nicholas Hood, Sr. expanded the educational offerings to include the development of a day school which was viewed as a natural progression of the Day Care Center. In an effort to see the vision come to fruition, Nicholas Hood, Sr. solicited the assistance of Cora Collins to oversee and guide the project to completion. As a result of her efforts, the vision came to pass and the Plymouth Day School, a private, tuition-based school serving Kindergarten students, was born with Cora Collins serving as the first teacher and Principal.

In 1981, after providing quality education to Detroit area residents for over 7 years, the leadership of the school became the responsibility of Nicholas Hood, III. In 1985, under his guidance, a transformation occurred when the Plymouth Day School was incorporated. Further transformation occurred in 1990 when the school was relocated and expanded to include grades K-5. During these years, the Plymouth Day School continued in its tradition of providing high quality education to all who entered its doors.

In 1991, the school downsized and moved back to its former home in the lower level of the church servicing students in grades K-2. In 1992, under the visionary leadership of Vivian H. Ross, Ph.D., the school’s current namesake, the decision was made to take advantage of a new school reform initiative called Chartering. The name of the school was changed and on August 31, 1995, Plymouth Educational Center was officially designated as a Michigan Chartered Public School Academy. In three years Dr. Ross, with the full support of the Board of Directors, successfully provided leadership to secure land and funding necessary to build a new school from ground up. In 1999, the new state-of-the-art facility servicing over 700 students in grades K-8 opened to the public.
Technology

Technology is regarded as an essential teaching and learning tool, which strengthens the delivery of curriculum and instruction. Computers as well as technological instruction are considered crucial components of classroom activities.

Partnerships

We maintain an open door policy so that parents and community members are actively engaged in partnerships that support teaching and learning. We provide an array of opportunities for parents to form meaningful relationships with teachers, staff and administrators.

Plymouth Educational Center also engages the business community in partnerships that support the academic and social development of our students. We are especially proud of our partnership with THINK Detroit, which affords students the opportunity to receive computer training, as well as our partnership with the Police Athletic League (PAL) and Marygrove College, which enables us to offer after-school tutoring.

Profile

Today, Plymouth Educational Center is a K-8 institution with a population of over 900 students, housed in a recently constructed facility on Detroit’s east side.

Our school is chartered by Central Michigan University and is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of business professionals, educators, and community leaders.

Demographics

Year opened: 1995
Grades: K-8
Current Enrollment: 860
Student/Teacher Ratio: 25:1
Teacher Demographic: 50% African-American, 47% Caucasian, 3% Hispanic
Teacher Certification Percentage: 100%
Student Demographic: 99.9% African-American, .1% Asian
Number of Computers: 100+

Academics

We offer a full range of academic core curriculum classes, which are fully aligned with state and national teaching standards, as well as a variety of cultural and extra-curricular opportunities. They include:

Language Arts (Decoding, Reading, Literature, Handwriting, Spelling, English)

Mathematics

Science

Social Studies

Personal Development (Health Education, Social Education, Critical Thinking Skills)

Humanities (Art, Computer Programming)

Foreign Language (Spanish)

Computers (Computer Literacy, Computer Applications, Computer Integration)

Music

Physical Education

Support Services (Special Education, School Psychologist, Nurse, Social Worker, Speech Therapist)

Extra-Curricular Activities (Student Government, Boys/Girls Basketball, Co-ed Soccer, Cheerleading)

Fee-based morning and evening latch-key