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EDITORIAL: Good education leads to good life
Growing racial disparities in key economic measurements? Answer is education.
THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU reported this week that whites are doing better than African-Americans and Hispanics (though not as well as Asian-Americans) in such critical economic categories as income levels and percentage of home ownership. Worse, the gap seems to be growing.
In 2005, 75 percent of white households owned the home; 46 percent of black households held ownership; for Hispanics, 48 percent. Blacks earn about 60 percent of the median income for white households, a gap that has widened by about 8 percent. Hispanic households earn about 72 percent of the median for whites; in 1980, it was 76 percent.
Asian-Americans lead the way, with higher education levels - 49 percent have at least a bachelor's degree - and higher income levels than all other races.
SO, THE BIG QUESTION: Are these economic gaps the result of racial discrimination?
Well, yes and no.
One cannot divorce the history of racial discrimination from the problems of the present. When one culture starts behind, it's not easy to play catch-up.
At the same time, a history of prejudice cannot become an excuse for continuing under-achievement. The challenge is to look forward, not backward. How can America best lift the circumstances for all of its citizens?
THE ANSWER IS EDUCATION. It is the single most important determining factor in how well individuals will fare economically. Consider these numbers (from 2005) compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor:
€ High school dropouts averaged a 7.6 percent unemployment rate, with median weekly earnings of $409.
€ For high school graduates, 4.7 percent joblessness; weekly earnings of $583.
€ For those with an associate degree, 3.3 percent and $699.
€ With a bachelor's degree, 2.6 percent and $937.
€ With a professional degree, 1.1 percent joblessness and $1,370 a week.
The conclusion could not be more obvious. Education equals economic security. In today's knowledge-based economy, the gap no longer is between the haves and have-nots. It's between the knows and the know-nots.
Questions that come to mind: Is anyone sitting down with students to show them these numbers? And if not, why not?
MEANWHILE, AMERICA'S school districts continue to report scholastic achievement gaps between the races. The story is well known in Beloit, where a substantial performance gap has existed for years. The issue has been a primary concern of the local NAACP chapter. Some authorities say the gap is narrowing; time will tell.
Obviously, this is not just a school problem; it's a community challenge. Babies are not born with an inferior ability to achieve. Somewhere along the way youngsters get lost, and everyone shares in that responsibility. The cost of failure is too high to bear, not just for those trapped in the cycle, but for society as a whole. Competing successfully in a global economy requires workers who are prepared intellectually and emotionally to contribute.
The Census Bureau report tells Americans nothing they didn't already know. The problem is that obvious.
And so is the ultimate consequence of inaction: A permanent, troubled underclass unless a way can be found to make education more important and more successful for minority citizens.
THE U.S. CENSUS BUREAU reported this week that whites are doing better than African-Americans and Hispanics (though not as well as Asian-Americans) in such critical economic categories as income levels and percentage of home ownership. Worse, the gap seems to be growing.
In 2005, 75 percent of white households owned the home; 46 percent of black households held ownership; for Hispanics, 48 percent. Blacks earn about 60 percent of the median income for white households, a gap that has widened by about 8 percent. Hispanic households earn about 72 percent of the median for whites; in 1980, it was 76 percent.
Asian-Americans lead the way, with higher education levels - 49 percent have at least a bachelor's degree - and higher income levels than all other races.
SO, THE BIG QUESTION: Are these economic gaps the result of racial discrimination?
Well, yes and no.
One cannot divorce the history of racial discrimination from the problems of the present. When one culture starts behind, it's not easy to play catch-up.
At the same time, a history of prejudice cannot become an excuse for continuing under-achievement. The challenge is to look forward, not backward. How can America best lift the circumstances for all of its citizens?
THE ANSWER IS EDUCATION. It is the single most important determining factor in how well individuals will fare economically. Consider these numbers (from 2005) compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor:
€ High school dropouts averaged a 7.6 percent unemployment rate, with median weekly earnings of $409.
€ For high school graduates, 4.7 percent joblessness; weekly earnings of $583.
€ For those with an associate degree, 3.3 percent and $699.
€ With a bachelor's degree, 2.6 percent and $937.
€ With a professional degree, 1.1 percent joblessness and $1,370 a week.
The conclusion could not be more obvious. Education equals economic security. In today's knowledge-based economy, the gap no longer is between the haves and have-nots. It's between the knows and the know-nots.
Questions that come to mind: Is anyone sitting down with students to show them these numbers? And if not, why not?
MEANWHILE, AMERICA'S school districts continue to report scholastic achievement gaps between the races. The story is well known in Beloit, where a substantial performance gap has existed for years. The issue has been a primary concern of the local NAACP chapter. Some authorities say the gap is narrowing; time will tell.
Obviously, this is not just a school problem; it's a community challenge. Babies are not born with an inferior ability to achieve. Somewhere along the way youngsters get lost, and everyone shares in that responsibility. The cost of failure is too high to bear, not just for those trapped in the cycle, but for society as a whole. Competing successfully in a global economy requires workers who are prepared intellectually and emotionally to contribute.
The Census Bureau report tells Americans nothing they didn't already know. The problem is that obvious.
And so is the ultimate consequence of inaction: A permanent, troubled underclass unless a way can be found to make education more important and more successful for minority citizens.
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