I’m going to stray from my usual theme, so be forewarned…

Earlier this week, I read a short article by Walter E. Williams, a professor of economics at George Mason University, regarding educational fraud.  As many of you know, I spent seven years at K12, an online education company that offers an alternative to students who, for many different reasons, are not able to thrive in a traditional school setting.

While there are issues with the way online educational companies are being run, the issues they are trying to address are very real. And the long term effects of not addressing the needs of today’s students has serious ramifications to their future. 

Professor Williams’s thoughts, which I agree with, really hit a nerve. We are not doing right by our kids.

“Focusing solely on the academic problems of blacks at the college level misses the point. It is virtually impossible to repair 12 years of rotten primary and secondary education in the space of four or five years of college … That’s evidence that primary and secondary education deficiencies have not been repaired during undergraduate years.

The academic achievement level for white students is nothing to write home about. Only 25 percent of white high-school graduates taking the 2011 ACT met its benchmarks for college readiness in all subjects for which it tests.  

The high academic failure rate among blacks means one of two things. Either black students cannot learn or primary and secondary schools, parental choices, black student attitudes, and cultural values regarding education are not conducive to what young blacks need for academic excellence. Colleges admitting underperforming black students conceal, foster and perpetuate the educational damages done to these youngsters in their earlier education.”

Speaking of primary and secondary education, my county is now being forced to consider having parents pay for busing their kids to their local schools because of the drastic budget cuts being proposed. The belts are too tight as it is. Trying to squeeze blood from a turnip is going to do nothing to begin to rectify to the educational damage we have already caused our kids.