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It requires a high police presence in many areas but likewise it requires a system in place that will educate those who are breaking the law without any regard to a future on the right side of the law.

Until the inner city and primarily African-American communities come together to take control of their futures, we cannot expect to improve the rate of African-American students enrolling in college. There are major problems that we must deal with before an increase of African-Americans reach the college classrooms. It begins with changing the status quo among parents, peer groups, neighborhoods, communities, and school systems.

The sad truth is that there is little other racial groups outside of the African-Americans can do improve the problems that exist between birth and college. It is entirely upon the shoulders of the African-American citizens to make the changes necessary to improve the number of their children that enroll and complete college education; however, it is incumbent upon our government from the community level to the White House to assist through specific funding to make the necessary changes become a reality. The changes must include programs that will educate the parents with the most basic of an education in addition to additional programs that will assist these parents' ability to find work or if already employed, teach them to rise to higher paying positions within their current field of employment. The government of all levels must provide funding to remove teachers who are in the schools for a paycheck and replace them with teachers who actually want to teach. Additional funding for tutoring programs need to be available. Safe schools for those who continue to disrupt classrooms in public schools must become a reality. Successful and incarcerated African-Americans must be willing to step up to show these children what options are available to them depending upon the path they choose to follow.

Only when programs such as those listed above become a reality will we find improvement in the rate of African-American high school graduates enrolling in college. Only when more African-American adults receive a college education and teach their children the value of that education will we see higher rates of African-American high school graduates attending college.

Parents should aspire to teach their children to have a life better than the one the parents give them. However, without the government along with community support, peer support, and funding for specific programs that can take a preemptive strike against illiteracy, the chances for more college-educated African-Americans will not occur. We must stop this never-ending battle of illiteracy. We must work together to bring all students of all ethnic backgrounds to the forefront of priorities.

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