Secretary of Education meets stake holders during "Back To School" Bus Tour In Detroit

DETROIT (Tell Us Det) - On Thursday, Duncan spent the day in Detroit, Mich., where he joined Gov. Rick Snyder, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan, Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, and Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts at Charles H. Wright Academy of Arts and Science to highlight recent steps initiated by the state and city of Detroit to provide better support and turn around persistently low-performing schools across Michigan.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said Thursday he thinks Detroit can be the fastest improving school district in the United States because of the leadership in place and the massive education reform under way across the city and state.

"Two years later, I couldn't be more hopeful and optimistic about Detroit and where it's going to go," Duncan said, referring to his visit to Detroit in 2009 when he declared the city ground zero for education reform.

Later at a press conference, Duncan told reporters that Detroit could become the fastest improving urban district in the country. In June, when Snyder and Roberts announced plans to focus on poor performers, he said the city was at the "bottom of the barrel as far as education."

"Part of my job is to tell the truth," Duncan said during the forum Thursday.

Since Duncan’s last visit in 2009, the district has implemented a five-year academic plan and the graduation rate has grown to 62%, up by about 4%. Duncan’s visit comes one day after an announcement that about half of DPS children did not show up for the first day of school Tuesday.