Why are Urban School Systems Failing so Badly?

Virtually every major city has a budget problem in their school systems. The Detroit Public Schools (DPS) are no exception. The city of Detroit has seen an exodus of its population for years and clearly, enrollment in its school system has declined as a result of that. Aside from declining enrollment, top-level school officials have also often mismanaged funds.

One of the first order of business, should in fact be about a philosophy to run the DPS as a "business". The entire paradigm needs to change internally, because as long as the DPS continue to be an organization depending on receiving funds regardless of fiscal accountability, the solution will be as elusive as ever. The DPS doesn't need an educator as the Superintendent, it desperately needs a veteran corporate turnaround guru. It needs a leader with a strong sense of financial responsibility. The DPS needs a major internal overhaul and restructuring in order to effectively streamline its operations, its processes and its resource management. Every facet ranging from its tangible assets such as buildings, books, furnitures to intangible assets such as curriculum or pedagogy must be assessed and verified.

The second item should be to enact policies of transparency between school administration and the general public, taxpayers and voters. Everything from purchasing decisions to hiring decisions should be transparent to parents and families involved with the school. Transparency also entails a Superintendent who is a highly confident and charismatic PR figure. The Superintendent must be a terrific "salesperson" who can pitch to the most cynical crowd and win them over.

Another important item to tackle is concerning results. Academic results, as well as cost-cutting results leading to a balanced budget, should be monitored closely and relayed to the public periodically to that we can all see what is promised, and what is realistically achieved. We believe all these steps will gradually bring DPS and other troubled urban school systems back on track.

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