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These days, a lot of people are talking about inequities in public education in our state. After all, it was the subject of one of the biggest South Carolina Supreme Court cases in history (Abbeville v. State of South Carolina). But what seems to be missing is a critical element: the perspective of a product of South Carolina’s public school system. More importantly, the perspective of someone who attended a low performing school.
I was born and raised in the Midlands of South Carolina and attended public school there. I worked hard in school, as did my classmates, but the culture was that of mediocrity. Some students succeeded, many did not, and that was just a fact. Don’t get me wrong, I’m proud of where I went to school. The environment in the school however, was less than ideal for learning.
What I took from that experience was the need for serious reforms to take place in public education. We can’t sit idly by and do nothing while generation after generation is forced to attend mediocre or low performing schools. We need policies that aren’t geared towards making adults comfortable, but policies that are laser focused on improving education for the next generation.
The good news is that we can do something about it. When I first learned about the work of StudentsFirst, I was jealous. Why couldn’t an organization like this have existed when I was in school? A group that cares about what’s best for kids – above all else.
I’m proud to get up in the morning knowing that my work is positively impacting the lives of kids across our great state. Join me and get involved in the helping prepare the next generation – today.