Detroit is probably our most battered city. For 40 years, numerous forces????????the 1968 riots, population shifts, poor political leadership, the decline of the auto industry, and so much more????????have taken an unprecedented toll on what was once America's fourth largest city and arguably among the most vibrant urban areas in the country.
I spent a week there last year, learning more about its history and challenges and came away very sad and not so hopeful. Beyond the depressing figures (unemployment, crime, foreclosures), there were other, more palpable signs of distress????????I had never seen a downtown area so uninhabited at 2pm on a weekday. (Recently, two national magazines????????one from each side of the political spectrum????????have done very good, long stories on these troubles, and I highly recommend both: Weekly Standard and Rolling Stone.)
So when you add all of these problems on top of the typical challenges of major urban school systems, no one could be faulted for predicting trouble in Detroit's schools. But things are even worse.
Last year, the Council of Great City Schools produced a scathing report pointing to DPS's deficiencies in achievement, instruction, purchasing, accounting, facilities, data, and more. Because of continued problems the superintendent was fired and the governor installed an emergency financial manager. And things continue to deteriorate--this is a good example.
I don't know how things are going to play out, but I suspect that there's a better than even chance that DPS will require a major intervention, whether it's because the system can't make payroll, the school board asks for substantial outside assistance, or something else.
A quick infusion of cash won't solve things, nor will better management. The system is too low performing, has too many empty buildings, is losing too many students, and is short of too much money to merely bounce back. To be successful in the long run, Detroit needs a new type of public school system.
The post-Katrina New Orleans experience showed that no one had a ready plan for constructing the urban school system of the future. Local leaders had to improvise and the federal government, support organizations, and foundations helped in targeted ways but certainly lacked a comprehensive plan. We shouldn't find ourselves in such a predicament again.
So here's my humble recommendation to Secretary Duncan and the leaders of the nation's biggest foundations: assign a couple of your smartest people to a new skunk works operation. Their duty: come up with a playbook should a major intervention become necessary.
The team shouldn't be constrained by current programs, priorities, politics, etc. They should just figure out the best plan for dealing with an urban system on the brink.
Hopefully, DPS will turn itself around and this playbook will never be needed. In that case, a bunch of smart people spent some time thinking about a very worthwhile issue????????the urban public school system of the future. But if things do deteriorate, these plans would prove invaluable.
Detroit skyline photograph from Paul Turgeon on Flickr