DETROIT, Sept. 8 (UPI) -- U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan says he is optimistic about the future of education in Detroit public schools.
Speaking at a community meeting Thursday at one of the city's high-performing schools, Duncan said the city's economic future is tied to the reform of its schools.
"I couldn't be more hopeful about Detroit," Duncan told more than 200 parents, community leaders, Gov. Rick Snyder, Mayor Dave Bing and other political leaders. "There's an alignment of leadership and an alignment of commitment and courage here."
The U.S. Department of Education said the forum at the Charles H. Wright Academy of Arts and Sciences was the first stop on the second day of the "Education and the Economy: Investing in our Future" bus tour.
When Duncan visited Detroit two years ago, he called DPS "ground zero" for public education and arguably the worst urban district in the nation, the Detroit Free Press said.
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