The Detroit Lyin’s
When asked about the low test scores of Detroit’s charter schools during her confirmation hearing, Betsy DeVos said that she “looks forward to correcting some of the record regarding Detroit.”
While it is common knowledge that the reform that Michigan’s position on the NAEP list has dropped in the time that DeVos has supported her style of education reform there, there are still people out there writing about a Detroit miracle.
On January 12th, James Goenner wrote an Op-Ed in the Detroit News about the miraculous Muskegon Heights School District. Goenner was a consultant to the Muskegon Heights ‘transformation’ so anything he says should be, at least, fact checked.
According to Goenner, Muskegon Heights was broken beyond repair until the district became an all charter district where parents have choice about which school their children go to. As a result:
Fast-forward to today and you’ll find that the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy has strong leadership, balanced books, and improving academics. It is on a glide path to pay off its old debt. All of its nearly 1,000 students attend by choice. No one is assigned. Like all Michigan charter schools, it’s prohibited by law from levying taxes. Because charters receive less money than districts, it provides taxpayers with a bigger bang for their buck.And this solution is replicable. It’s a strategy that could be deployed with struggling districts throughout the nation to create a fresh start for kids in a taxpayer-friendly way.All of this was accomplished by people who cared enough to persist and had the stamina to overcome the numerous obstacles that were thrown in their way. Betsy DeVos was one of them, and so was I. Without her quietThe Detroit Lyin’s | Gary Rubinstein's Blog: