re: #247 researchok

It’s the parents who are demanding these programs.

There was a story here in NC about a minority parent who couldn’t get their kid into a private school. It was heartbreaking to watch. She’s a single mom, works two jobs and wanted her kids to have a chance. The dejection was palpable.

A few years ago I was in Savannah with some mucky muck. We were in the car on a Sunday afternoon, driving through what was clearly a poor neighborhood. I saw a kid playing in the well kept front yard, dressed in a neat shirt and pressed trousers. Obviously, he had been to church. It was clear he was well cared for. His mother was chatting with her neighbor all the while keeping an eye on that boy. I remarked to my friend how pleasant that scene was and this kid would grow into a fine young man and joked we may be looking at a future president.

My friend bitterly remarked, ‘That kid doesn’t have a shot in hell. His school will abandon him long before he quits’.

Sometimes anecdotes tell the bigger story.

I went to public school as my sister did… between us we have 5 degrees. I have a lot of issues with our public education system but in all fairness like anything else in life you get out what you put in.