Two-thirds of the city's public schools have closed in the last 15 years. At the ones still open, students and teachers struggle.

In December 2012, the mayor of Highland Park, Mich., DeAndre Windom, made the decision to close the water plant in his own city and contract with the Detroit Water and Sewage Department. He was praised a public policy genius.

We've spent many months studying the success of the nation's top education state, Massachusetts, and leading improvement states like Tennessee and Florida. Based on their proven track record of success, we have identified four areas that, with the right attention and investment, can put Michigan into the top 10 states for student growth in the next five years.

Dr. King called for self-transforming programs to involve young people in direct actions in their cities and neighborhoods. The Boggs School is providing an environment for students to undergo self-transformation and is creating structures that are transforming education.

High academic standards, a rich curriculum, adequate funding -- all of these factors are important in why some schools succeed and others don't. But none of them matter as much as the quality of a school's teaching. Like our students, teachers are worth our investment.