It takes a family to raise a child. It takes communities to raise a child. But in place of healthy communities, too often we find neighborhoods deteriorating amidst the alienation, rootlessness, and despair of violent streets. It takes schools to raise a child. But where there should be a shared sense of common purpose among school, family, and community, too often we find a circle of blame.
Parents blame the community for the child's problems.
Communities blame the school. And the school, too frequently, blames both. Then it closes itself off in its time-bound world. The finger pointing and evasions must come to an end-up and down the line from the federal government to the family and student. Although concrete recommendations are difficult to make, several ground rules point the way ahead.