Our Nation's Greatest Injustice

They're calling education inequality the civil right's movement of my generation. I think that's probably a bit of a stretch yet it also rings very true. Just as life in America was pretty absurd prior to the work of MLK,Jr and everyone else, white or black, that worked relentlessly to have rights based not on skin color, there are a lot of people being called crazy for their efforts to have great education available regardless of race or class.

I was driving down the freeway in Houston after happy hour with a group of fellow TFAers from our summer school site. I coudn't stop smiling. I have met a ton of great, fun, smart people this week. I have learned a lot about management, marketing, diversity, and myself. I have gone running as the sunset over downtown several times this week. What I am doing with my time is going to (fingers crossed) drastically impact a few children's lives. I'm not as tan, I don't see a million stars each night, and we don't play in a lake all day, but in a lot of ways, it is safe to say I love being a part of Teach for America as much as Camp Longhorn.

Let me say this: if it were not for an established, prestegious program like TFA, I wouldn't be involved in this. I might be working for a non profit or somewhere in politics where changing the current situation of education would be a focus, but that would be it. The praise and the high fives shouldn't be going to me or my fellow TFA members. Wendy Kopp (who spoke to us last week, the camera flashes going off around me made it feel like a major celeb was speaking. and in the world of education, Wendy Kopp is a major celebrity. google her.) Anyways, Wendy Kopp, the two dudes in Houston who founded the KIPP charter schools instead of making millions in business, the list is a lot longer... I find myself in awe of them. Because they are awesome.

So I thought I'd share some facts because typing things out myself really helps me memorize things. I used to retype notes in college all the time. And when I say all the time, I mean, whenever the mood hit me and I remembered I should study while in school.

About 50 percent of students in low-income communities will not graduate from high school by the time they’re 18 years old.

By the time they're in fourth grade, children growing up in low-income communities are already three grade levels behind their peers in high-income communities.

Of the 13 million children growing up in poverty, only 1 in 10 will graduate from college.

42 million adults in the United States can’t read well enough to read a simple story to a child.

The link between literacy and being a contributing member of society is so strong that some states use third grade reading statistics as a factor projecting future prison construction.

I.E. – The state of Mississippi bases their prison construction on the number of 3rd graders boys who are not reading on grade level.

Hence the term, close the achievement gap. We are going to bridge the gap between the academic success of high-income children with low-income children. Why should the zip code where you are born dictate the quality of your education, and therefore how far you go in life?