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Letters | Challenges in education

Lagging schools exact a range of social costs

One wonders whether we comprehend and draw the correct conclusions from news reports about our society. The April 25 Globe informs us that Senate President Therese Murray has a focus on the state’s low wages, saying that they boost government costs that ultimately fall on taxpayers. Asking a gathering of business people for feedback on the issue, she received no questions.

The same edition contains a report that US schools are still lagging other nations and that 1 in 4 Americans fail to earn a high school degree on time. The Globe has reported that Massachusetts employers, like their counterparts in other states, have thousands of job openings and a lack of qualified applicants.

Does anyone see the connection here?

Respect for, and commitment to, education is the most important factor separating the haves and the have-nots in today’s America. Real education requires good schools, excellent teachers, and involved parents. Too many politicians and, yes, parents, have failed to respond. The individual ill-equipped for today’s workforce is the inevitable outcome of the failure to achieve high standards in our schools.

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Martin L.B. Walter
Wellesley