The next shoe dropped in Detroit yesterday when the state-authorized Education Achievement Authority announced that 15 schools, all in Detroit, will undergo turnaround. The 6 high schools and 9 elementary and middle schools will have more autonomy over hiring and programming, a longer school day and year, and more capacity (with 200 new Teach for America recruits). Detroit Free Press says “EAA will convert each of the 15 schools to one of three models — a charter school, a school operated under contract with a private entity, or a school directly run by the EAA.”
Interesting news, but the devil is in the details. Who is ultimately accountable for success, what happens to the old system, and what mechanisms are being built in for sustainability? Stay tuned.