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Profile: NIKOLAI P. VITTI

Nikolai Vitti knows exactly what it鈥檚 like to be a struggling student whose dyslexia went undiagnosed until college. As the child of a single parent growing up in Detroit 鈥� the school system of 47,500 students that he now leads as superintendent 鈥� he says his mother 鈥渄idn鈥檛 know how to navigate the school system.鈥�

Small wonder Vitti has dedicated substantial efforts as the system鈥檚 chief executive since 2017 to elevate the role of parents. 鈥淚f they feel more involved and comfortable,鈥� he says, ultimately that benefits students. 鈥淲e need to use school system resources to overcome obstacles so parents feel more engaged. 鈥� It鈥檚 always about the child.鈥�

Vitti views parents as partners, not problems, says Sharlonda Buckman, assistant superintendent of family and community engagement in Detroit.

She cites the monthly sessions for parents to talk directly with the superintendent. During the pandemic, the two checked on families. When Vitti and Buckman recognized COVID-19 financial hardships interfering with student participation in school, the leadership used CARES Act funding to offer parents paid work supporting parent engagement in the district.

What Vitti has called Detroit鈥檚 鈥渉istory of neglect and racial injustice鈥� 鈥� the district had been taken over by the state and run by emergency managers for about two decades prior to his appointment 鈥� informs many of his initiatives. Education Week recognized his parent empowerment work when naming him a 2021 Leader to Learn From.

Previously superintendent in Florida鈥檚 Duval County, as well as deputy chancellor with the Florida Department of Education, Vitti says he became an administrator 鈥渢o achieve a greater scale than what I saw in my classroom.鈥�

As one measure for creating trust in a community that had been scarred and dispirited for so long, Vitti asked his governing board in his first year to adopt a resolution that school district employees would refuse to cooperate with federal immigration officials who were targeting foreign nationals in the city.

Building trust with staff also was deemed essential to any district turnaround. That meant paying teachers more and on time. 鈥淲e have a strategic plan and we created goodwill,鈥� Vitti says. 鈥淲e did what we said we鈥檇 do.鈥�

When the pandemic struck, equity took top priority. He made sure Detroit opened its schools during the summer of 2020. 鈥淚f private schools could do it, so could we,鈥� he says. 鈥淥ur students鈥� parents were essential workers.鈥�

Addressing inequity also meant rethinking the student code of conduct. 鈥淲e have restorative [justice] practices in the actual code,鈥� Vitti says, and improved systems were put in place to track chronic absenteeism to improve attendance.

His personal experiences as a student inform the transformative process for students of color and immigrants. Vitti remains grateful to a high school English teacher who 鈥渟aw my talent, who said, 鈥楴ikolai, you鈥檙e smart.鈥� That gave me a boost of confidence. I quickly fell in love with books and knowledge.鈥�

He adds, 鈥淎s I started to come alive intellectually, I wanted to move into a profession where I could focus on social justice and create the change I saw within myself.鈥�

Vitti earned a B.A. in history and a master鈥檚 in education from Wake Forest University, and master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees in education from Harvard鈥檚 Graduate School of Education.

鈥淏eing in my home community is everything,鈥� says Vitti. 鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of hardships to overcome. I was a student who struggled in school and hated it. I was a principal who turned around a school. I鈥檓 excited to use the system鈥檚 resources to help families and children. I couldn鈥檛 imagine another job.鈥�