Issues

Our failure to provide equitable, high-quality education to all children, regardless of zip code, is becoming clear. Racial and class divides are expanded by our underfunded inner-city schools, feeding the fire of inequality. Since the Jim Crow era, racial and class segregation has perpetuated the vast differences in educational outcomes in poorer inner-city areas versus wealthy suburban districts. Only about 51% of lower-income students enroll in college, compared to 89% of higher-income students. If we continue to fail our most vulnerable youth, we are not upholding one of the United States’ highest values: equitable achievement opportunity. Allowing this blatant discrimination to continue is extremely concerning and must be immediately addressed by the federal government.

As one of the wealthiest nations in the world, we can afford to provide every student with a sufficient and competitive K-12 education. Doing so is a long-term investment in our economy, our people, and a more equitable union. With less necessity for public assistance programs, less money funneled into the prison industrial complex, and a higher degree of public health, the United States should invest in education to save money and help people from disadvantaged backgrounds achieve a better life.