I’m taking a leaf from Eliot Rittenband’s book. I write Notes and Daily Tidbits; he sends links to articles worth reading. Our politics are similar. Two of our grandchildren are the same. His daughter is married to my son.
Take a look at this Boston Globe series. Brighton High School in Boston. Newton South High School in Newton. As the story says – 3 miles apart. A short drive. Two schools worlds apart.
Kids with similar ambitions. The kids at Newton South have the resources to achieve those ambitions even when they don’t come with personal, financial resources. The kids at Brighton High School rely mostly on themselves for resources – even when their teachers are inspiring, even when they persist.
I know a little about those schools. From years ago. I taught at a Junior High School that fed into Newton South. My cousins children went there My friends children went there. Not quite as many years ago, I visited Brighton High School. I don’t remember what I was there for (That feels a little like a Joe Biden moment. Oh well. I’m not running for President.) I remember the school vividly. Jr. ROTC. Very small class size. Small class size because so many of the kids did not show up for school. Classes that were quiet, but not necessarily places where kids were learning.
Take a look at the series.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2019/09/14/neighboring-schools-worlds-apart/