Educational Tourists in Grand Rapids: Expanding the Urban Tourist Bubble to Public Education

• In Event: 33.066 - The Role of Politics in Educational Policy Making and Implementation

Abstract

Many cities have invested in developing their tourist centers. Tourist bubbles, separate urban areas specified for recreation, are popular ways for cities to reinvent their image. Grand Rapid, Michigan has emphasized tourism, a theme that has spread to their public schools. Seeking to increase enrollment, GRPS is developing new schools for "educational tourists." GRPS faces funding and enrollment challenges, as well as competition from school choice options in the surrounding suburbs. New theme schools, housed in the city’s zoo and museum, emphasize the excitement of the city’s amenities while glossing over any challenges that the urban district faces overall. We examine GRPS’s strategies at marketing their schools, the populations they attract, and the schools they develop reflect tourist bubble phenomenon.

Authors

• Kacy Martin, Michigan State University

• Rebecca Jane Jacobsen, Michigan State University