Union Official: No More Charter Schools in Detroit

David Hecker, president of the American Federation of Teachers-Michigan, an arm of the nationwide union AFT, released a statement opposing a request to charter school operators issued by the Detroit school district and a state bureau that manages several city schools under state receivership. These entities may be looking to “charterize” the management of conventional public schools.

“Any plan for mass charterization of public schools would be harmful to students, harmful to school employees, and harmful to communities,” Hecker said. “The research proves this.”

ForTheRecord says: The research from one of the nation’s most prestigious education research organizations says Detroit’s existing charter schools are a model of success for other communities to follow. Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) stated in studies performed in 2013 and 2015 that Michigan’s charter schools almost all outperform their conventional public school peers. In the 2015 edition, CREDO went so far to say other communities should look to Detroit’s charter system as a model.

CREDO's reports have been recognized by authorities such as former U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.