One of the biggest challenges for any urban city, especially Detroit, is education; and as we all know, education is the key to future success in work and life. Our children deserve the finest education possible and tools that will help them succeed not only now, but in the future.
Some want the city to take over the K-12 education system, but this a quixotic solution, which would fail as we have neither the expertise, nor the resources, to manage such a transition. Instead, we should support Detroit Public Schools Community District (DPSCD) through initiatives like my Wealth Generation Task Force’s tutoring and early childhood learning programs. These programs provide essentials like certified, free academic support to boost early literacy, reading and math skills. By focusing on targeted, evidence-based programs like high-quality tutoring and early childhood learning, we can address specific achievement gaps, promote educational equity, and directly contribute to workforce readiness and long-term wealth generation, all while maintaining a collaborative relationship with our school system.
As my task force outlined, an educated citizenry is important to a thriving city. Businesses often make decisions about siting a new factory or headquarters based on many important factors, but an educated workforce and strong schools are two of the top factors. And as everyone knows, strong schools impact Detroit’s ability to attract new employers who offer good jobs and good wages…