I’m not the one to bring dismal or bad news to people…that’s not my style.  I’d like however, to bring some interesting information for you to ponder.

The Educational School Yards of our Country

I visited the Nation’s Census website to review the data on higher education enrollment.  The latest data showed a 10-year spread.  From 1990 to 2009, the government had creditable information from gender, race, age and characteristics¹.  It wasn’t a surprise to see the increased enrollment numbers year after year – all the way to 2009!  As I dug deeper to view the enrollment by race and class, the numbers were disturbing.

The racial divide shows a large gap toward the later years of 2007, 2008, and 2009.  When you analyze the report into gender class and among the races, the African-American males shows a downward trend of new enrollments².

Yes, numbers are numbers – but these numbers represents children.  The children of our country and a small percentage of individuals who come from other foreign lands spend several years to receive a quality post-high school education.  Now that we’re entering a new phase of global workforce competition, how can we encourage more of our children to set a steady educational path for quality jobs and quality pay?  As it relates to a child in our community, could we do better from cradle-to-college?

The Young Prison Yards of our Country

For several years, A&E has aired a TV reality show call “Beyond Scared Straight”³ – a series of episodes following derailed, defiant and disrespectful teens as they enter immersive jail programs aimed at deterring them from a life of crime.  In its fifth filming season, we witness wayward children whose parents appear to have no control over them.  The show depicts law enforcement units from certain areas of the country attempt to make tough decisions on behalf the parents; when we all know the home is supposed to be the first institution of education!

I have a statistical snapshot just from a southern state (name withheld) here in the US on the matter of youth incarceration⁴.

• There are 8 youths serving life without parole sentences
• This southern state has 1.71 per 100,000 14-17 year olds serving life without parole sentences ranking it 32nd of the 40th state covered in the Amnesty International USA report The Rest of Their Lives: Life Without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States (2005).
• This southern state has a ratio of 5.4 black youths for every white youth sentenced to life without parole giving it the 21st highest black/white ratio out of 27 states.
• The minimum age for prosecution as an adult is 12.
• The minimum age for sentencing a youth to life without parole is 13.
• This southern state has mandatory life without parole sentencing.

The Grave Yards of our Country

Do you remember the Columbine tragedy in Colorado?  What about the Virginia Tech College School Massacre in 2007 – the deadliest shooting incident by a single gunman in U.S. history?  Or how about this year’s Sandy Hook Elementary School killings in Newtown, Connecticut?

I strongly encourage you to view this website that lists the total murders of young people in Chicago:

http://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/2013-chicago-murders.

On this site, you’ll see in chronological death order the portraits of innocent, young faces – most of them smiling back at you. Most of their lives met a terrible fate of daily gang shootings throughout Chicago.  The site also mapquest the spot in which it shows their last living steps.  These killings just don’t happen in one town, but in all urban cluster cities.   After your visit to this site, you certainly feel uncomfortable. 

We don’t need to bury our future doctors, scientist, and educators of our country.

How can we make this better? Simple, get involved – starting in your own neighborhood. Serve on a community board. Join a youth volunteer organization. Share your educational skills with a younger person. Become a mentor…

As 2013 draws to a close, make a new pledge to yourself in 2014 to get involve.

Let go people and do some good!

1. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0281.pdf
2. http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0279.pdf
3. http://www.aetv.com/beyond-scared-straight
4. Source from Amnesty International USA, The Rest of Their Lives: Lives without Parole for Child Offenders in the United States (2005)