I‘ll dedicate this book to the more than 10,000 advisees our Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP) has served over its ten-year existence: You can go to college—and graduate! College changed my life: I hope it will change yours, as well. I‘ll also thank our financial-aid advisors, who are the MVCAP to students, their families, and our cooperating schools. And to my dear wife, Cindy, who epitomizes our passion for helping kids in need, thank you, my love. I‘ll start this introduction by noting that, according to a March 2011 telephone survey of over 2,000 adults in a representative U.S. sample, 94% of parents say ―. . . they expect their child to attend college.‖ (Paul Taylor, ed., Is College Worth It? College Presidents, Public Assess Value, Quality and Mission of Higher Education, Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center—Social & Demographic Trends, May 16, 2011, p. 1.) http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/05/higher-ed-report.pdf Obviously, a
college education is viewed as desirable by Americans; indeed, according to the report on that survey, ―College remains a near universal aspiration in this country, even in the face of steeply rising costs.‖ (Paul Taylor, ed., Is College Worth It? College Presidents, Public Assess Value, Quality and Mission of Higher Education, Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center—Social & Demographic Trends, May 16, 2011, p. 7.) http://pewsocialtrends.org/files/2011/05/higher-ed-report.pdf
But is our American educational system enabling all students to access college and graduate? Marian Wright Edelman, President of the Children‘s Defense Fund (CDF), raised doubts in her 2011 online posting, as she stated: . . . American education, which used to be the envy of the world, is in dire straits. Many public school students, kindergarten through 12th grade, are struggling; children of color and poor children struggle most. More than 60 percent of all fourth, eighth, and 12th grade public school students and nearly 80 percent or more of Black and Hispanic public school students in the same grades are reading or doing math below grade level. The U.S. ranks 24th among 30 developed countries on overall educational achievement for 15-year-olds, and in a study of education systems in 60 countries, we ranked 31st in math achievement and 23rd in science achievement for 15-year-olds. Too often children fall behind in school and drop out, increasing their risk of entering the cradle to prison pipeline. (Marian Wright Edelman, ―Getting Children Ready For School,‖ HUFF POST—IMPACT, August 12, 2011.) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marian-wright-edelman/getting-childrenready-fo_b_925658.html
The attitude of American parents toward U.S. schools seems to reflect Edelman‘s misgivings. Indeed, according to a 2011 post by Greg Toppo on the annual PDK survey, ―But since 2001, Americans have soured on schools in general: When 1,002 adults were asked June 4-13 to give a letter grade to ‗public schools in the nation as a whole,‘ only 17% gave them an A or B, down from 23% in 2001, and 27% in 1985.‖ (Greg Toppo, ―Poll: Parent give thumbs up to 7