Nadine Chami

James Buccellato
28 April 2015
PS 1010
Honors Political Science Evaluation
This course revolved around researching and evaluating a specific problem occurring in
Detroit. My group members and I focused on the education crisis occurring in Detroit Public
Schools. Going into this I knew Detroit has struggled and continues to with its school system.
However, the extent of the problem shocked me. I was surprised to hear that Detroit Public
Schools students had the worst scores on the National Evaluation Progress Assessment test in
2009. Through research, I was able to conclude that high illiteracy rates actually posed a bigger
problem than low graduation rates. Most students are unable to read at their grade level due to
the lack of quality in the Detroit Public Schools education system. All along I thought that the
education crisis in Detroit was due to decreased funding. However, through research, I was able
to realize that the key limitation of the education system in Detroit was quality rather than the
quantity of goods or funds. This surprised me because it shows that Detroiters have indeed lost
trust in the education system and not all are willing to improve it. I attended and graduated from
the Dearborn Public Schools district, which isnt too far from Detroit. Seeing the difference in
structure and function in these two districts really stressed the problem in Detroit.
As part of the course, I was expected to complete ten service hours with a non-profit
organization that dealt with the problem I was researching. To complete those hours, I worked
with Green Living Science and ACTS Detroit. As part of Green Living Science, I helped conduct
lessons to pre-kindergarten students about the importance of recycling, reducing, and reusing.
Even though the lesson plans didnt really relate to the problem area I was focusing on, the

indirect relationship between the subjects and striking the students interest was promising in the
field of early education. As part of ACTS Detroit, I worked with 5-7 year olds at the Woodbridge
Community Center as a tutor in their after school tutoring program. I helped the children with
their homework for an hour and then worked on their reading skills. I plan on continuing to work
on this problem by going back to the Woodbridge Community Center to volunteer. It was an
incredible experience and the enthusiasm of the children made it that much better. Through these
service hours I realized that putting in just a few hours a week to help these children is actually
quite influential. I was able to create bonds with several of the children I worked with, they even
used to run up to me and hug me as I approached them. I dont think I will be able to make a
difference on a local or state level, but I plan on continuing to help by giving back to the
community.
As mentioned above, the project was completed in groups. My group consisted of Lara
Bazzi, Shaima Aldaibil, Samer Alomary, and Aiman Alqaatabi. I attended high school with all
four of them so it wasnt the first time I worked with them. The fact that the project was
structured based on topic made it easier for us to divide up the work. Samer and Aiman worked
on the national policies that dealt with the problem. Lara worked on the state policies, while
Shaima researched the local policies. Lastly, I worked on identifying and evaluating non-profit
organizations that dealt with the issue. I think one of the biggest advantages of working in groups
is the teamwork that takes place when completing the project. With the five of us working
together, there was an endless amount of ideas that dealt with conducting the research and
presenting the information. As well, I believe the quantity and quality of the work was much
better since we were all able to focus on different parts of the problem. Working with others also
has the advantage of being able to double check work that you werent too sure of. I think the

biggest disadvantage of working with others on this project had to be writing the final paper. It
was difficult to get the paper to flow since there was so much information and five different
writing styles. As well, meeting up to work on certain parts was difficult due to our conflicting
schedules.
This political science course was structured differently than any other government class I
have taken. I was able to learn about the different levels of government by actually analyzing
their impact on a certain problem. One of the skills I was able to enhance in this class is critical
thinking. Instead of memorizing information and being tested on it, I had to apply what I learned
in order to assess the education problem in Detroit. This course allowed me to take information
that was presented to me and actually apply it to real life situations. As well, the intense research
needed to back up my arguments allowed me to improve the research skills I acquired in Honors
1000. Overall, this class made it clear to me that political science isnt just about the Constitution
and how we elect our president.