Berkley Center

We need to recognize that the most critical domestic problem in the United States today is the widening of the educational gap between the children of the haves and those of the have-nots. We live in a society where your zip code determines your level of success. Education is the most powerful weapon, yet it is not accessible to all, and that is a serious problem we need to address immediately. The population in the United States is over three hundred million, yet our current educational systems and institutions only directly reach a small minority of the population. If society does not reform the current educational system and create a different vision for the future, large parts of our society will be excluded from the benefits afforded to a highly educated and skilled population and work force. Right now we are in a massive brain drain due to the retirement of the baby boomer generation; still, our workforce cannot meet the demands due to a lack of education and skills.

Education is a basic human right to which everyone is entitled, which builds the foundation that makes our communities grow. It is a powerful tool by which socially and economically poor and working class families can lift themselves out of poverty. All children have the right to a quality education that prepares them for active participation in our democracy and economy. Yet, poor and working-class students have been falling behind. For them, not having a degree remains the norm. The value of life in low-income communities can be improved and the viability of public schools and outcomes for children can be strengthened by providing children with the programs, resources and support needed for a quality and equitable education.

Having a college degree matters much more now than it once did. College dropouts are one of the largest and fastest-growing groups of young adults in America. A bachelor's degree tends to determine a person's place in today's globalized, computerized economy. Grades and test scores, rather than privilege, determine success today, but that success is largely being passed down from one generation to the next, due to the disparities in today’s educational systems.