American Success Formula? Be Born Rich and White!

There are things we know about The United States that we wish were not true.  We wish, for example, that race and ethnicity were a fading problem that Americans had mostly outgrown.  Of course we all know that time and enlightened regulation were supposed to save us from our prejudice and yet the latest report from The Fed's Office of Civil Rights Data in the Department of Education ( http://ocrdata.ed.gov ) says we have a long way to go.  If you're a data geek check them out - if not the New York Times has a summary (http://nyti.ms/1r30Klw) as does The PBS News Hour (http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/study-education-inequality/).

If you're lazy like me here's the gist of it:  The kids who are brown or black or live in poor places or go to  poor schools are twice as likely to be suspended or disciplined as the white and well-to-do.  By the way, that includes the disturbing fact that many children of color receive their first suspension while still in pre-school.  What kind of school suspends three year olds?  Many poor schools don't provide the math and science classed needed to go to college or provide foreign language classes needed for entry to even the least picky Universities.  Why do we think this is the norm?  Are the black, brown and poor inferior undisciplined or just unlucky?

I don't think it's about any of those things.  My theory is that the middle class is using all their energy just holding their place.  Many would like to see things improve but don't have the energy or ideas to make improvement happen.  I also think that the white and well-to-do care very little about those who aren't.  I know that sounds harsh, but check out my post of October 7, 2013.  It speaks to the research into the attitudes of the well-to-do and shows conclusive evidence the rich's lack of empathy.

In spite of middle class apathy and the rich's distain we need to find ways the American Success Formula can help all of us.  The demography of the country and the need to treat all our citizens well requires it.  Soon the majority of us will be non-white and/or poor which, if we can't have equity of education and opportunity, will push us all toward anarchy or revolution.  Even the rich can see that as a bad outcome.

Here are some things we might think about.

1. Local control of education includes local funding which is inherently bad for poor districts.
2. There is no mandate for equity among schools.
3. Privatization only works for those who can afford it.
4. When people are too poor to live decent lives their children are too busy surviving to learn.
5. If we leave it to the rich, they will take care of themselves and no one else.

Please feel free to think of your own ideas, the problem needs multiple solutions and we all need to be part of the solution.  The only imperative I see is that the problems are large and growing and if we don't start to work in them now, they will become the kinds of problems that can only be solved by revolution.