Both these articles detailed the cycle that public institutions endure in their respective cities of Detroit and New York. I have always heard that Detroit is currently a failing city, and I have never understood the cause of the city’s downfall. Big Sean, my favorite rapper, is a Detroit native who recounts the plight and troubles Detroit endures in his music. It is alarming to learn that the very sector that allowed the city to thrive, the public sector, suffered a downfall because of oversaturation. Interestingly enough, this article exhibited that an improved economy allows for an increase in social mobility as shown by Ron and Loretta Martin’s occupation on Detroit’s west side. I wonder what fiscal and budget decisions the city of Detroit needs to make in order to overcome bankruptcy.

The article describing the close of Jamaica High School mimics the story of many schools throughout New York City that has been shut down. On the inside, students, parents, and faculty feel as if the Department of Education is making unethical decisions; yet, the Department of Education and the City’s administration attribute the shutdown to the lack of performance by the students and teachers. Like Jamaica High School, the school in my neighborhood experienced a similar golden age and decline. My mother has lived in Canarsie for over 30 years, and she has attended South Shore High School, a school that has been shut down within the last decade. According to my mother, South Shore was a good high school, and students of all backgrounds attended it within the neighborhood. However, as the new millennium approached the school took a sour turn and had to be divided into smaller schools because of its lack of performance. My question is whether there is a more effective alternative to rehabilitate the schools that are underperforming rather than shutting down the schools altogether.