DESCRIPTION

America strives to be a land of equal opportunity, but our nation's public schools are not leveling the playing field for the fifteen million children growing up in poverty. By the time kids in low-income communities are in fourth grade, they're already three grade levels behind their peers in wealthier communities. More than half won't graduate from high school--and many that do graduate only perform at an eighth-grade level. Only one in ten will go on to graduate from college. These students have severely diminished opportunities for personal prosperity and professional success.