For I long time I have been concerned with the state of education in the states. Often I hear about reports that find high school graduates in the states to be far behind students in other developed countries. Also I hear about non-Caucasian children not performing as well as their Caucasian peers. With all the resources we in the states think we have, why do these discrepancies exist?

In this section all the statistics are from the National Center for Educational Statistics' Digest of Education Statistics 1999. According to the digest only about 70% of students graduate high school. This includes students who receive GED's. The published findings also indicate that female students perform better in reading writing, while males score higher in math and science, however; male students were found to score better on both the verbal and math sections. Also Caucasian students were found to score significantly better all across the board. In regard to school environment the students were reported as follows. There was a strong tie between students' income bracket and how safe they felt in school (the higher income bracket students' feel safer). A similar trend was reported with regard to violence between different racial/ethnic groups, and the presence of gangs. On environment between Caucasian and non-Caucasian students: Caucasian students fell safer at school, experience fewer disrupting outbursts by other students, experience fewer racially motivated incidences of violence, and have fewer gangs in their schools. Since many of the findings between upper class students and Caucasian students were similar, for the majority of this essay I will assume that most upper class students are Caucasian. With respect to our international competitors: fourth grade reports find American students to be far above many other nations, but graduating seniors are far below many other nations, on average.

So what are we doing wrong? It is apparent that education of non-Caucasian and low-income children is inferior to the education received by others. Based on the aforementioned statistics, I believe the problem is not due to the nature of the public school system. The violence and gang activity experienced by lower income children (and I will continue to assume this includes most non-Caucasian students) is most likely to blame for this groups fall off in educational performance. I believe other studies would indicate that most children of this class are members of broken homes, homes where both parents work, homes where parents make money by illegal means, and homes where there is no authority figure present (i.e. mom, dad, or daycare) when the school day is over. These factors all contribute to undisciplined children. I think we would all agree that when we were children doing homework was not exactly the highlight of our day. When I was young I often found ways to get out of it, but usually my parents were around and forced me to develop a work ethic and get my work done. I am of the opinion that if my parents were not around for one reason or another, the chances of my getting involved in activities that would adversely effect my education (i.e. gangs, illegal pursuits, drugs, etc.) would have increased significantly.

The problem with other children may be the same. In our modern world the middle class mom (and many other moms) often feels the need to supplement the father's income by working so that they can have all the luxuries the Jones' have. While middle class children are less likely to be involved in criminal type activity (likely because their parents can provide them with money), still in this situation there is no authority figure around to provide discipline for these children. Often mothers may stay home until they feel the children are okay to take care of themselves when they get home. This may account for the drop off in educational performance between the fourth grade report and the level of achievement at graduation.

So how can we remedy these problems? I recently read an article in "US News and World Report" concerning education in boarding schools. The main difference between the lives of students in boarding schools and students in other schools seemed to be structure. A boarding school student has ever-present authority figures. They always have someone of whom they can ask questions. They always have someone close by who is concerned with their performance to motivate them, encourage them, and, with care, push them to accomplish all that they can. As a result many boarding schools send at least one third of graduating students to Ivy League schools. In order to get the rest of our students to be able to perform at this level, it is important to provide a similar environment in the home. Parents must be present to encourage their children to succeed in school. They must be present to answer their children's questions. They must teach their children the importance of education and the importance of discipline and structure in their lives. This approach will not only help improve our level of education, but would also turn out a next generation of adults who are secure in themselves, their abilities, and their direction in life.

Often as adults we tend to put our careers, our education, our social activities, before the needs of our children. Once we have children it is important that we remember that we are parents, that should be our first responsibility. As parents it is our duty (not foster care centers) to raise our children and make certain that they are properly educated both mentally and morally. It is important that we provide a stable atmosphere for our children. It is important that our children feel comfortable coming home. It is important that someone is there when they get home. It is important that our children feel safe and loved and motivated. If we can accomplish this, our children will make far more effective use of the education provided them.

I've heard many people say that public education is what you make of it. Most schools offer curriculums that include all the necessary classes, and teachers who are capable of teaching them. Often there are programs in place for students, who exceed the curriculum that their school offers, to be able to take classes from a local college or a neighboring school. The system has all the material for our children to succeed, we just need to teach them to use it, motivate them to use it, make them comfortable using it.