As we celebrate the success of a first lady who matriculated through urban public schools, we must recommit ourselves to ensure the system works for more young people.
As the nation faces a historic moment of change with the election of Barack Obama, we are also celebrating another American success story in the ascent of Michelle Obama from first-generation college student to first lady of this great nation.
Many of us listened in awe during the Democratic convention as Michelle’s mother recounted her humble upbringing; parents who barely graduated high school but made it a priority to send both children to two of the nation’s top colleges in the country — Princeton and Harvard universities.
Michelle Obama’s journey from an innercity public school in Chicago to Harvard Law School is a striking affirmation of the American dream. Her story holds out hope for lowincome students everywhere. Despite all the challenges our nation faces, we now have more opportunities for students who are prepared to succeed — just as Michelle Obama did over 20 years ago. Currently more than 100 colleges offer no-loan financial aid packages to families making less than $60,000 a year, which amounts to an “almost free education.” Yet even as higher education institutions have increased opportunities for low-income students with generous financial aid and outreach efforts, we see fewer students prepared to take advantage of those opportunities.
Twenty-five years after the publication of “A Nation at Risk,” which was considered the clarion call for educational reform, the gaps in college success for low-income students are wider now than they were in 1983. Today, as one child drops out of high school every 26 seconds — more than one million a year — we are still at risk. A recent report, “Cities in Crisis,” published by America’s Promise, underscores the deeper challenge in urban school districts. The average graduation rate of the top 50 cities is 51.8 percent but as low as 24.9 percent in Detroit. So what can we do to address these issues and increase the number of students like Michelle Obama who successfully graduate from college? Here are three key commitments we can make:
