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December 17, 2012
The Detroit challenge!
When I came to Michigan to study my degree course, I have very little idea about the history of the region.
First through a few conversations, then through the discovery of organizations and groups, and then more talking, I came to know of the gravity of the problem confronting Detroit. I still remember sitting down open-mouthed trying to imagine how a US city could go so wrong. The city has shrunk down to 700,000 in population from over a million a decade ago, entire buildings and neighborhoods are empty and the city could go bankrupt. Wow!
How does a city go bankrupt?
For my part, the educational challenges confronting the city are equally complex and dire. Only 3 out of 10 students make it out of high-school and a sizable number of those that don't end up in prison.
The number of students going to public schools has fallen significantly. There are 40-50 kids per classroom, and the budget to teach them constrained.
These symptoms point to a much deeper problem, and I am trying to understand the background context, so that any idea I come up with is rooted in real life and not idealism or theories.
Stay tuned!
Posted by anishmg at December 17, 2012 06:43 PM