"We all need to work together to solve the education crisis -- our country's future is hanging in the balance," says Marie Groark, Executive Director of the Get Schooled Foundation.
This former social studies teacher has dedicated her life to inspiring people to improve high school graduation and college completion rates in the U.S. "We can't just rely on politicians to solve this problem. We all need to step up. And maybe as we step up, it will encourage our leaders to step up as well." Here, Groark explains why this issue affects each and every one of us.
Q: What is the biggest obstacle to getting a good education in this country?
A: I don't think it's a budget issue, because more money is spent in this country on education than almost any other country in the world. The biggest obstacle is that the world has changed and yet our approach to education has not. The question is: How can we all work together -- families, teachers, young people, educators, business leaders, other community members -- to make sure more kids graduate from high school and college?
"We can't underestimate the power of small steps, because the evidence shows us that small steps can make a huge difference."
Q: What in your teaching career made you want to become an education activist?
A: In the high school where I used to teach, John F. Kennedy High School in the Bronx, you had different students each semester. The school was eight stories tall, there were escalators in the building, and it was as long as a city block. It was very difficult to make the connection to give young people the support they needed to graduate. Neither the teachers nor the students were set up for success in that school.
Q: If you're a person who doesn't have children, how does this issue affect you?
A: We are all one country, so we're all connected. If millions and millions of Americans are denied access to the quality education that you need to live a happy healthy life, we will all feel the consequences in small and big ways. Education levels are great indicators of a person's overall health and success. Those with higher levels of education are more likely to vote, are more likely to volunteer and be engaged in their community, are more likely to exercise, and are less likely to smoke or commit crimes. To say it's not your problem is just not true. As an American, it's a problem that affects us all.
Q: What are some hands-on ways that concerned citizens can get involved?
A: The most important thing to realize is that you have to attack this big, mammoth problem in small ways. If you just make sure a child has a book in their home, it will make a huge difference in a child's aspirations and love of literacy. If you go out and buy ten books and give them to an organization that distributes books to low-income families, it will make a significant difference. If you can tutor one child and help ensure they get on grade level reading by third grade, you are making a huge difference. As millions of Americans step up to the challenge and make that difference, that is when we're going to see things change.
Q: What's a real-world example you've seen of community members challenging the status quo?
A: In Los Angeles, there is a group called the Community Coalition that organized young people in some of the lowest-performing high schools in Los Angeles. Their frustration was that young people were not able to take the classes required for college because some high schools didn't even offer them. They organized and protested at the superintendent's office and at the school board, and they were able to change the policy in Los Angeles so that today all students in Los Angeles are required to graduate college-ready. Unless citizens demand the quality education that kids need, the system isn't necessarily set up to give it to them. Working together as Americans, we can challenge the status quo and we can succeed.
The Get Schooled Foundation publishes a site to help students succeed: GetSchooled.com. For more information about Community Coalition go to cocosouthla.org. To donate a book, go to FirstBook.org.
