Toxic for Learning
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- Reginald Cureton, right, a 7th grader at Detroit Merit Academy, uses the computer to do his homework at the family’s home last week in Detroit. High levels of lead were found in Reginald’s blood at age 1. He receives personalized instruction at school and follows a strict schedule at home. Second grader Novea, second from right, reviews her homework with her mother Jeanine Cureton, while siblings Moriah, from left, and Shekinah play nearby. —Brian Widdis for Education Week
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- Reginald Cureton, left, and his brother Maurice, arrive home from school. Maurice also has high levels of lead in his blood and receives personalized instruction at school. A new study links widespread lead poisoning in the Detroit school district to lower achievement. —Brian Widdis for Education Week
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- Reginald Cureton works on a metal ring puzzle at his home last week in Detroit. With help from his family and educators, he is making academic gains, his mother says. “I tell Reginald that you are not defined by this,” Jeanine Cureton said. “Don’t let this illness dictate your life and your choices.” —Brian Widdis for Education Week
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- Maurice Cureton, a 3rd grader at Detroit Merit Academy, reads a chapter book as part of his homework at his home last week in Detroit. —Brian Widdis for Education Week
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- Maurice Cureton reads a book with his mother Jeanine at the family’s home last week in Detroit. —Brian Widdis for Education Week
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- Reginald Cureton closes the hatch on his family’s minivan after school at Detroit Merit Academy last week. —Brian Widdis for Education Week
When Reginald Cureton, a Detroit middle schooler, was just a year old, a routine blood test revealed that he had more than four times the amount of lead in his blood required for a child to be identified as lead-poisoned. A new study draws attention to the large numbers of Detroit children who have been exposed to lead and establishes a link between blood-lead levels and lower academic performance. Through a strict home routine and a school environment his mother Jeanine Cureton describes as supportive, Reginald, now 12, has been making strides: He scored “proficient” on a recent standardized test and was moved into a more advanced classroom, his mother said. Last week photographer Brian Widdis spent a few days documenting the Cureton family.
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