Yet, in spite of all the good intentions, the troubles continue without sign of relief. The Baltimore Sun last year kept its staff busy with stories of the state takeover of city public schools due to dilapidated facilities and woeful academic performance. According to the 1996 Maryland School Performance Report, Baltimore City public schools are still in bad condition. Only 30.3 percent of 1995 students that made it to the 12th grade were deemed qualified to graduate as measured by the University of Maryland System Requirements. 58 Today, black Baltimoreans face many of the same education-opportunity issues that Marshall faced.
Education still holds the key to breaking the cycle of poverty and limited economic opportunities.
Yet, education is still denied to many African-Americans in the city by the deliberate policy of forcing the poor to attend inferior public schools, when the provision of modest scholarships or vouchers would allow many the opportunity to attend private schools. Inasmuch as this would improve education across the board, the rate of bright flight would slow and the city's tax base would in part be stabilized.