Ten years ago I wrote No Excuses to prove once and for all that there was no excuse for the failure of most public schools to teach poor minority children. The great lesson of the last ten years is that all across the county there are schools that provide life-saving educations for children whom the system would deem uneducable, but in order to achieve their outstanding outcomes, these schools often have to buck the system, beat the system, or break with the system altogether.
A great thing happened last night: a young black man was elected President of the United States and now young black men the entire country over can aspire to the highest office in the land. In this country, however, tens of thousands of public schools fail to provide an adequate education to over 13 million low-income children—many of whom are young black men.
President-Elect Barack Obama has one of the finest educational pedigrees in the English-speaking world. He has said he wants every child in America to have the same educational opportunity that was afforded to him. I would argue that in order for his fellow Americas to harness the promise of our great nation and pull this land out of its many current and pending crises, we will need Barack Obama’s leadership to buck, beat, or break with many aspects of our public education system—especially those that continue to trap children of any color in their failing local school.
Come this January, Barack and Michelle Obama will be the parents of two young children living in the District of Columbia, whose local school system is among the very worst in the nation. Given that this is true, I for one would never fault them for sending their girls to the elite private schools in the area as did the Gores, and the Clintons before them.
But Barack Obama’s private choice for his family is not what is at issue. What is required is his leadership within the greatest civil rights struggle of our time. The very lives of young black men, among others, are depending on it.
Will this be the No Excuses president, who like former and current lawmakers of African American descent—Kevin Chavous, Dwight Evans, Howard Fuller, Harold Ford Jr., Rev. Floyd Flake—stands up to the special interests of the public education system so that all children have access to great schools in their own generation?
I for one will be working very hard to see that the promise of our new President-Elect brings about a better tomorrow for a country of schoolchildren now looking to him for change.
January 14, 2009 at 11:03 am
[...] unionize may have helped them avert the rising mediocrity that will no doubt color this otherwise No Excuses school model. One wonders what campaign was hatched to convince so many KIPPsters that a regulatory [...]
February 2, 2009 at 5:12 pm
It is time that all children in America have access to quality schools! It is time the educational dollars follow the student to the school— whether it is public, private or home school—that the parent should choose for their child. Real competition in the education induatry will bring about quality education in our nation.
February 17, 2009 at 10:39 am
I enjoyed your post and have bookmarked your site. ~ Nancy
October 23, 2009 at 10:38 pm
Ну что я могу сказать, в целом статья интересная, но нет самой изюминки. Не говорю, что я написал бы лучше, но тем не менее(
December 13, 2009 at 9:43 pm
President Obama has publicly criticized the public school system and has made many promises, but he does not have me convinced. I think that the only way we can see true change is if we completely overhaul the public school system.
It is a tragedy that schools in poor urban areas receive significantly lower funding than rich suburban areas do. It is also a shame the teachers there are worse. I think that this all contributes to the poor graduation rates for Blacks and Hispanics, 52% and 57% respectively. We need to make the funding for schools equal and make sure that all schools are equipped with the same quality instructors.
Living in Michigan has allowed me to see firsthand the failure of the public school system. In Detroit, the graduation rate is 21.7%, the worst in the ENTIRE nation! It’s hard to see any change on the horizon. President Obama has made promises, but so did President Bush with his “No Child Left Behind” act. It is my opinion that Washington is making empty promises to appease the public.
Even if they are trying, nothing can really be done to help the current system. The money that goes to schools comes from property taxes which greatly effects the poorer communities. This leaves them with less money to buy books and school supplies for their students.
We need to create a more socialized school system. I know we live in a time where “socialism” is political taboo, but I really think it is the only way that we can achieve true reform. Imagine a system where every school receives equal funding(in proportion to the amount of students) and they all have good instructors. Surely anyone would prefer a system like that to the current one we have.
The education you receive should not be based on the area you live in. Everyone should receive the same, quality education.
February 14, 2010 at 11:18 pm
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