10 Things You Should Know About Detroit Public High SchoolsDetroit Public Schools 1973On February 19, 1973, TIME magazine penned an article on the nation’s public schools. In the piece, it highlighted Detroit public education system, saying it was in a crisis. The magazine wrote “to put bluntly, Detroit’s public education system is close to collapse.”State of Detroit High Schools 2010Now, fast-foward to 2010, and the city of Detroit is still struggling with the similar issues. MSNBC reported, one of Detroit’s oldest high schools, Cooley High will shut down this year. In fact, 32 schools will shut down by the end of the year, and 13 more will close over the next two years. The reason: budget crises.Drop Out RatesIn 2009, TIME.com reports, Detroit leads the nation for high-school dropouts.Plan of ActionSome Detroit High School officials have not lost hope. At Osborne Preparatory Academy it is a redesigned high school were the faculty focuses on graduating 80 percent of their students. Their principal Thomas Parker, shares, “The students don’t like to hear the negative news in the media and they really want somebody to illuminant the positive things that are happening.”LiteracyStill, some students graduate from Detroit Public High Schools, but are unable to read.What MattersGEAR UP, a federal program in Detroit partners with public universities for failing high schools, and have workshops with student to help prepare them for college. “We fundamentally believe that literacy is the key to freedom and success in our society,” says, Lumas J. Helaire, an Assistant Director Office of Academic Multicultural Initiatives, GEAR UP Director University of Michigan.