In the spirit of Detroit Yes, I submit what I believe the biggest issue Detroit faces

[rex]

The 1 that surprised me was that any suburban family would choose DPS over their local district.

[Kevgoblue]

I thought that too. But I don't think it said "DPS". I think it was suburban kids that went to school in Detroit.
If that's the case, then most likely UofD, or the International Academy.

[Dumpling]

Why might a suburban family choose DPS over their local district?

They just moved from Detroit, but have developed ties to their school of origin in Detroit; or, there is a specialized program within DPS that is just right for their student, and their suburban district does not have a comparable program. DPS does do right by some of its students. The science majors
from Cass Tech that I met as a student at U-Mich were reasonably bright
and well prepared to study there.

[Wesley Mouch]

Why might a suburban family choose DPS over their local district?

They just moved from Detroit, but have developed ties to their school of origin in Detroit; or, there is a specialized program within DPS that is just right for their student, and their suburban district does not have a comparable program. DPS does do right by some of its students. The science majors
from Cass Tech that I met as a student at U-Mich were reasonably bright
and well prepared to study there.

Your point M. Dumplin is a good one. DPS may have serious problems, but they also do a lot very well.

I'm a strong believer in public schools. That's my favorite thing about charters. They have oh so obviously driven public schools to improve. The idea future is one where charters exist and innovate -- but our public schools deliver most education.