Mithawk,
I totally agree with you. The success of kids in school based on motivation of the kids, parental involvement and teacher (school). What I have noticed is that the weakest link has been the parents. The parents left the kids' education to the teachers and do not bother to check the homework, etc...(but will attend all soccer games, football games).
The matter of the fact is well-to-do families often are educated and they encourage their kids' education and not poor families often do not have proper education and they do not worry about the future. Unfortunately many minorities are poor and the cycle continues.
There are many programs in different parts of the country but the most important thing is we have to get the parents buy into the idea that the education is important for their kids. (It is really hard for an individual teacher to have impact on the kids because most of them spend only 1 year with them).
Educational success in Europe and many Asia countries is because the parents nurture their kids. I heard a teacher said some incoming kinder does not know how to read A,B,C and some kids are reading independently. You can guess who are the parents of those kids? Any government program without parental involvement will fail or cost tremendously. The parents (parents in this forum not included) need to step up.
