1.) that the college classroom, whatever the subject, is a waste of time for “those kids”, whoever they are?; or

2.) that “those kids” would be better off taking their chances with the NBA as a mentor rather than pursuing a college degree of any kind? I suspect a lot of parents of “those kids”, whether single moms or two-parent households, would rather see their sons get a college degree as well as a spot on an NBA team. Sure, the money is important, but it doesn’t hurt to have a degree as a fallback in today’s tough economy. Given the competition for jobs in this economy, it is still better to have a college degree than not have one. Besides, there are no guarantees that making an NBA team will ensure anything close to job security for the remainder of one’s life.

It has been since the passage of Prop 13 back in 1978. Our schools have become a system of haves and have-nots who are dependent for the most part on an educational bureaucracy burdened by mandatory academic testing, low teacher morale, and ill-prepared students and parents. The teaching of critical thinking in the classroom is virtually a thing of the past.

That being said, there are still a significant number of students from all backgrounds that make their way through this system and succeed. The question lies in how we get these formulas of success to more students. The solutions needed to fix these problems will take the buy-in of teachers, parents, administrators, politicians, and of course the students themselves.