The District of Columbia faces an issue that has been a plague throughout the United States, a poor education structure. The heart and soul of a community is often centered around children, the majority of whom attend public schools. It is no surprise then that if a school system is failing so too are the neighborhoods around it. Revitalizing anything may take a generation, but it all starts with an adequate education. The questions that need to be answered are: “What is adequate education? For whom must the education be adequate? Is there anything already in existence that addresses these problems with education?” The answers for these questions can be used to make necessary changes in the education system of Washington, D.C.
Mayor Gray, like many others, believes education has to do with higher test scores and preparing students for college. His mission statement outlines offering quality education, holding educators accountable for students’ success, and informing parents on what is being done (Gray, 2013). However it doesn’t address the need to prepare students for the workforce right out of high school and not creating an education system geared towards college enrollment only. Many students come from broken families and bad neighborhoods causing higher education to be a luxury they can’t afford. High School Reform and Work: Facing Labor Market Realities (Barton, 2006) discusses that same major concern, modern high school education concentrating on college, but not workforce preparation. The schools’ major concentration is to get more students enrolled in college. At the same time students who do not go for a college education are left with no preparation for entry level job positions that require no education. Interestingly enough, potential employers do not really care about potential employees’ high school achievements. The most regarded qualities for these