Detroit Public Schools are in crisis. Dropout rates are twice the national average, schools are routinely failing health inspections, and the district is more than three and a half billion dollars in debt. In this short video, Atlantic associate editor Alia Wong traces the history of Detroit Public Schools—from a model for urban education at the turn of the century to a failing, debtridden system today. How did the school district decline so dramatically?

This video is based on the report, A School District in Crisis: Detroit's Public Schools 18422015.

Authors: Daniel Lombroso, Alia Wong, Michael Bloom

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