Sadly, for many inner-city school districts this form of fiction for us is becoming a reality for many students. For example, in the Detroit City school district in Detroit, Mich. only 51.8 % of high school students graduated in 2003-04. Now I realize this data is a little late, but I'm not very optimistic that this rate has improved over the years.
It's disturbing to learn that these inner-city children really have nothing to aspire to if generations ahead of them are casting such a dark shadow over everyone. While suburban children flourish in college and beyond, their peers across the railroad tracks are busy living off the streets.
The main element to blame in all of this is classroom size. I pride myself on going to a university where my professors (for the most part) know me on a first name basis. Going to a small school you have the opportunity to form a more personal bond with students and faculty. However, I went to a public high school, and while my professors knew who I was, it was always a chaotic scene in the classrooms and hallways. Students who needed additional help were never given it because they could not be sought out in the sea of other students. Because os this overcrowding in inner-city schools, I feel many children are simply giving up because they feel they are being ignored by their teachers. The rich kids can afford a private education - others can't - by no means does this make sense.
All children should be offered equal education rights, no matter their class, ethnicity, intelligence - whatever it is. The only way for my generation to prosper and be successful in this country is for all human beings to make their contribution. How are we supposed to do that when half of some cities cannot even produce decent graduation rates?
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