Invest in kids so we don’t have to invest in prisons
Friday, January 26, 2007
As I was getting ready for work the other day, I was listening to Michigan radio, one of the local public broadcasting stations. There was a news story about a new curfew ordinance in Flint focusing on kids who’re out and about during the school day. The city council is hoping the ordinance will reduce the number of kids who skip school. A staggering statistic was mentioned in the report – more than 60 percent of Flint ninth-graders will not graduate from high school.
Hearing this led me to do some more investigating. In my few minutes online I read that nationally, about 30 percent of students drop out of school. I also read that fewer than 30 percent of men in state prison have completed high school, which means that 66 percent or more are dropouts.
Then I remembered something that the Rev. Wintley Phipps, founder of the U.S. Dream Academy, said when we were announcing Quixtar’s support of the Dream Academy.
He said that if one in every three airplanes that took off from our airports crashed, we’d find that unacceptable. If one of three cars that came off the line in Detroit had to be recalled we’d find that unacceptable… he continued with a few more examples of what we’d find unacceptable then asked why it’s acceptable that one of three children who enroll in kindergarten today will fail to graduate from high school.
Frankly, I had no idea that the number of children who dropped out was so great. There is such a strong correlation between education and risk of incarceration. Each and every year we pour more and more money into our corrections system so that we can house more and more criminals. To me, what is really criminal is that we don’t invest in our children with the goal of reducing the likelihood that they’ll end up in jail.
That’s what the U.S. Dream Academy does. They invest in children, especially children with a family member in prison and children at risk educationally. They want to break the cycle of incarceration in our country through their mentoring and educational programs.
This is an extremely worthwhile cause. Quixtar and the Independent Business Owners Association International (IBOAI) are fully behind their efforts, that’s why we both sponsor the Dream Academy.
You too can get involved, by becoming a mentor. To learn how, visit www.usdreamacademy.org or contact me here by posting a comment and I’ll hook you up with the right people at the U.S. Dream Academy.
It’s time we stepped up to the plate and did everything it takes to help all our kids become successful.