I'll chime in with 2.25 cents worth. It's all about parent involvment or lack of it. Period. There may be exceptions, but regardless of the situation good or bad or whatever, if a parent(s) gave a rats ass about their kid, they would find the time to read to/with them and help them with their homework. If they don't have the skills themselves, then like someone said, they should find a way. If they think it's the system then for crying out loud put forth some effort and get to the bottom of it instead of crying foul or discrimination; find out if it's really substandard teaching or distractions in the classroom and if so keep raising hell until someone starts listening--or if you have the skill, then homeschool your kids. I know many parents who have done the latter with results that would embarass the school system because their kids are so far ahead in their studies. If a child needs special education, then that means a parent has to do more than work their asses off; they need to ensure they provide or seek out special education and work that much harder to help their child. People need to quit bitching about how this or that is unfair to their kid and either take some initiative or find a better way. My kids have been in front of the TV and in front of video games and DVDs more than you can imagine, but we work our asses off helping them with their studies and reading to them every night since before they could even say any words. One is an A student and the other a B to A student. And we damn sure don't put any expectations on them; we work with them and simply tell them to relax and do the best they can. We tell them that we don't expect them to live up to anyone's expectations of how good they should be in school. But we also tell them to put in the effort if they want results, but conversely, if you don't put in any effort, you will need to live with the results. OK, so that's 5 cents worth...

jd1 - Well said!!

Whether white, black, hispanic, asian, yellow, purple or polka-dot, you guys have hit the nail on the head. It's true that parental involvement is key.
With that said, why do some schools fair better than others? Why do some cultures do better than others?
We know the answers.
And it has little to do with money, as the liberal left would have you belive.

Chris, as for entitlement, I maintain that todays liberal mentality has taught kids (and parents) that they "deserve" a diploma regardless of achievement.

Then there's the whole public vs private, secular vs. religious, why can't I determine how I spend my own damn tax money debate...

I agree parental involvement is important in every kids life but if you are unfortunate enough to be born from two marginally educated people it's hard for them to provide the support some kids need. Somehow, people got the impression that everyone is equal. well it just ain't so. Some people are stupid and race isn't a factor. We need high school drop outs and other marginally educated people. They play a vital role in our society and economy. Everyone can't go to college or technical school. Someone has to sweep floors, clean toilets and dig ditches. Life ain't fair!!

just to add a few more words, I wasn't born into a great life. My dad had a 3rd grade education and my mom made it as far as 8th. Parents divorced when I was 10. I pretty much had no support at home when it came to school.

I worked hard at school because I knew it was my only way out. I enlisted when I was 17 and took advantage of the education benefits to complete a bachelors degree. Since leaving the military I've completed my master's degree.

It's all about personal initiative. To those students that don't get their diplomas there's always a GED. A GED will get you in the door of most universities provided you can pass the SAT. But it will be easier for them to just say they're being treated unfairly.

what jd1 said