That is exactly correct. But, it doesn't just mean Detroit. Many, if not most, of the public schools have no discipline. The teachers are there just to police and not teach. The teachers have no backing from the highly paid administrators.
All the new and progressive teaching programs aren't working, and won't work. The skill level of high school graduates is abysmal to such an extent that colleges, even junior colleges, have to offer remedial classes to just bring the freshmen up to basic college entry level of ability.
Plus, in my experience in hiring newly graduated high school students, I found they can't count accurately, they can't read an analog clock, they can't speak well, they can't write cursive and they have no general knowledge necessary to keep a job. And there is more.