Thursday, May 23, 2013

Looking for Gaps to Close?

The cries that we are building a socialist state in all things from taxes to health care seems to be a way to avoid the complex conversations of wealth, poverty, and the conditions that lie between. It is unfortunate that we can't lean into these topics in a more meaningful way that explores the concepts of fairness and justice. In the next few weeks, I'll have the opportunity to work in some wealthy schools that feature strong endowments, beautiful campuses, and have some students and family that live behind the veil of wealth.

These moments are always filled with comments and thoughts about how all schools should treat their faculty and staff with this level of professionalism and how it would be great to have my children attend school in these places. Hospitality can mask reality and set the course for just having the easy conversations. Unfortunately, the concepts of Two Americans, an idea that John Edwards never got to fully discuss, is happening in all things in our country with the quality of schools being at the forefront of this inequality.

The solutions aren't simple. The ideas to change this over time and sustain it cost money, time, and sacrifice, and the cries of socialism will probably drown out the dialogue that is truly needed for us as a nation to reshape the consequences of the accident of the zip code in which we are born. Let us begin to think about the daily reality for kids on either side of the wealth gap, and in the process begin to formulate ways to close the experience and opportunity gaps for all.


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