Children Left Behind
by TChris
Poverty and social injustice are key causes of crime. Education should be the leveling force that helps disadvantaged individuals overcome those obstacles. That's why it's tragic to read accounts of public education like this one, written by Rich Halvorson, a teacher of ninth grade world history in Miami, as his students were being tested.
Just calling attendance, any illusions about "integrated" public schools are wiped away. My class was typical for the school -- 29 black students, three Latinos and one white. Once the test began and the students were quiet, we heard the intermittent traffic of rats scampering through the air ducts. ... How can it be that tens of millions of young Americans attend dilapidated schools often lacking basic sanitation, qualified teachers and up-to-date textbooks?
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