The average child in America will spend less than 10 percent of his or her life in school through the 12th grade. If we are serious about education reform, we need to understand what's happening to our students the other 90 percent of the time, and adapt to those realities.
More than a month before Christmas, the stores already are filled with Christmas displays and holiday Carols play over the sound system.
I remember the "good ol' days" when I knew Thanksgiving was coming because the stores were putting out Thanksgiving decorations in November. We all know those days are long gone; if you are like I was last year, you may have found yourself setting up your Christmas decorations in October!
National statistics released in 2009 – the most recent figures available – showed Shelby County's staggering infant mortality rate between eleven and twelve percent, the highest among the nation's largest cities. According to the Urban Child Institute's 2011 Data Book, infant mortality is now more than twice as common in Shelby County as it is nationwide.
