Detroit Shows that Poverty is Not Stopping Parents from Opting for School Choice

The far left Eclectablog repeats what is becoming a recurring drum beat in public education in Michigan – poor people can’t afford school choice.

If Detroit serves as an example, statewide statistics show that not only can poor families afford school choice, they often times prefer it.

There are 51,083 students from Detroit attending charter public schools, which exceeds the 49,172 Detroit students who attend Detroit Public Schools. And about 89 percent of Detroit charter school students are eligible for free-or-reduced lunch status compared to 82 percent of DPS students, according to an analysis of data from the Center for Educational Performance and Information (CEPI) and Michigan’s Educational Entity Master database.

There are more Detroit children in charter schools than the conventional schools and a higher percentage of those students are in poverty. And according to the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University, on average the Detroit charter students have higher learning gains than their conventional school counterparts.

Eclectablog wrote: "The proponents of for-profit charters will tell you that this is all about parental choice. It’s a myth, of course. Or, perhaps more accurately, a lie. Students in the poorest families don’t have the choice to simply send their children to a different school. That requires resources many of them simply do not have. So, instead of being able to move to a higher quality school, they are trapped in a school with diminishing resources and which is slowly circling the drain as they are told they must ‘compete’ on an insanely uneven playing field.”

The far left blog is simply following the lead of anti-school choice advocates in spreading that talking point.

In December of 2012, 71 conventional public school superintendents from west Michigan signed a letter that ran in MLive stating: “Instead, the choices we have created through market-based reform have produced cookie-cutter public school academies serving middle class students while creating a permanent underclass in our inner cities. Why? We believe that families struggling to maintain a roof over their head and food on their table simply do not have the resources to shop around for educational opportunity.”

And State Board of Education President John Austin stated in a June 2014 email to Michigan Capitol Confidential: “Many parents and their students can't execute a choice if they wanted to … they don't have time energy, transportation money to pick or get to a different school.”

Michigan Association of Public School Academies President Dan Quisenberry said charter schools are most popular in places where poverty is the highest.

“That’s true in Michigan and it’s true around the country,” Quisenberry said. “That’s because parents aren’t seeing their child’s educational needs met by the traditional public schools in those areas, so they’re seeking out better options. About 90 percent of the charter schools students in Detroit are eligible for free and reduced meals. You can’t get out of poverty unless you get a great education, and you can’t get a great education unless you’re able to choose the right school. That blogger is actually making the argument for more charter schools in those areas.”

The Michigan GOP (the national party deserves zero credit).

Right off the top, Rick Snyder forcing the bankruptcy is the best thing to happen to the city in decades. No body wanted to touch a city in limbo and that limbo has ended. Developers are actually competing for access to the old Tiger stadium site now. The Packard plant has been sold, taxes paid, and cleanup begun for a planned half billion dollar redevelopment. Creditors got prime riverfront properties as part of the bankruptcy settlement and have already hired designers and architects for luxury hotels, retail and residential buildings. Pro business policies enacted by the state controlled government are attracting major investment and business to the city.

Bang for your buck is a good way to describe why Detroit is fast becoming a good investment. Earning $45,000 allows you to live as if you were earning $100,000 in NY or $145,000 in San Fransisco. Its fast attracting business from far more expensive cities and becoming more of a business controlled city rather than a government controlled city. Guys like Dan Gilbert, Mike Illitch, and Roger Penske have dumped billions of dollars into the city and are actively working to bring in more. These are guys with a history of taking bad investments and turning them into gold and the business world is taking note.

Here's an interesting article about what Gilbert is doing in Detroit.

Dan Gilbert's Detroit makeover is the most ambitious HR project in the US

These are the downtown properties that Dan Gilbert owns. The area marked in red is where the new Red Wings arena and high dollar "sports village" are being built.

Detroit is a top notch sports town that will get even better when the Red Wings and Pistons join the Tigers and Lions in one location. They also have the Indy Dual on Belle Isle that is undergoing a complete renovation. Roger Penske was seen walking the downtown streets with officials from the F-1 series this fall and has said he intends to bring the F-1 series back to Detroit. There is also powerboat racing on the river as well as air racing over it.

One big thing is the deal that Rick Snyder got for Canada to build the new bridge over the Detroit river. (Detroit is the second busiest freight crossing on the continent) Canada pays the total approximate $2 billion to build the bridge and is hiring equal numbers of Americans. The customs plaza on our side is federal infrastructure and is required by law to be federally funded. Obama refuses to approve the project or release the needed $250 million unless Snyder promises $100 million to unrelated city pension funds. Snyder told Obama to screw off and started work on the project without approval. When the bridge is finished it will create jobs in warehousing, logistical and transportation much like the crossing in Laredo has done.

That is all about rebuilding a revenue base but there are other good things going on. Companies are transferring people to Detroit and they're moving into and spending their money on improving many of the neighborhoods. Places like Mexicantown, Corktown, Greektown etc are being transformed.

The Detroit crime rate is in free fall.

Police chief Craig was appointed by emergency manager Kevyn Orr. Craig is a very outspoken supporter of the second amendment and of self defense. He's honest in telling people that police can only stop a tiny percentage of crimes in the best of time so they should arm themselves and prevent crimes against themselves. Detroit is an open carry stand your ground city. The chief has also restarted the stop and frisk policy that Coleman young ended and he's made the police department more effective.

Obviously the people are starting to grasp the idea of getting the best education possible for their kids. Their attitudes are changing and it shows in their reaction to Ferguson Missouri. The biggest protest they could muster was about 3 dozen people. They elected their first white mayor in nearly 50 years. He's a democrat but has a business background and understand the need for business.

Obviously there are still major issues in Detroit largely centered around the black community but the solutions to those can't come from government or business. Personally I'd like to see Ben Carson run for mayor of Detroit. He's a hometown hero and could be a great example for the people to follow while showing that republicans aren't evil.

The thing about Detroit is that its reached a bottom that other cities haven't seen yet but will in the future. Detroit can be a testbed for conservative ideas and a blueprint for how to save a city. The city provides a stark contrast between 50 years of democrat rule and 4 years of GOP control. The national GOP would be wise to capitalize on it.

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