Education Reform in Urban Centers

The education system in the U.S. continues to pale in comparison to the that of other countries, notably Japan and China where students excel in math, sciences and reading. That's critically important at a time when technological innovation is so much a part of this evolving world of ours. The NCLB (No Child Left Behind) policies of the Bush administration did very little to help elementary and secondary school children actually learn and catch up to their more fortunate peers. Instead, NCLB merely taught students how to take standardized tests. Of course those tests already have built-in cultural biases for so many of the students in the urban setting, black and white. The new Secretary of Education in the Obama administration, Arne Duncan, believes it is time for radical reform. But as he said, "reforming our education system will take more than tacking on a few hours to the day and year; teachers must facilitate and guide children so they learn early on. That will create a strong foundation for later years in high school and college, where excellent study habits and a tough work ethic are of paramount importance to achieving success." The parents have to do their part in the home as well, nurturing and guiding and indeed demanding that their children are curious about life and learning. Generation after generation will continue to struggle unless we break this horrible cycle.