Education system concerns remain unanswered

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American education is a gamble for most students and, like many Americans, their chances of hitting the lottery are slim to none.
Thus, the education system in America is in a crisis. A critical problem within America's education system is that most students of urban environments and low-income areas don't have access to an equal opportunity to learn the information and skills required to advance within our society.
As a result, students often drop out of school because of the lack of preparation and their consequent struggle to keep up with the material. This may come as a surprise for some people, but for many this is a brutal reality that goes increasingly unanswered.
Growing up in the inner city of Chicago, I have witnessed first hand education inequality.
I attended a Chicago Public School for both elementary and high school, and it has opened my eyes to the limits that have been put on my education and the education of students who come from backgrounds similar to mine.
In both of my schools the percentage of low-income students (students who qualified for free or reduced lunch) was well over 60 percent, which defined my schools as low-income schools.
It is no secret that socio-economic status impacts a student's education. Students who come from low-income backgrounds are at an economic and educational disadvantage and rely on only what their school districts can provide.
In my high school at least one-third of the students didn't graduate and although some did graduate, many later dropped out of school because they couldn't keep up with the demands of college.
The sad part about this is that this isn't just the case for my neighborhood, my school or my city, but this is what life looks like for a large population of our country.
Despite No Child Left Behind Laws, children are being left behind on a variety of levels. There are areas of the country where only 3 percent of students meet standards for math. And overall, only 8 percent of low-income students will graduate by the age of 24.
Schooling over time has not changed and although there has been increasing evidence that there are a number of ways to approach teaching and different learners, curriculum has not changed.
Schools are still dominated by textbooks, teacher instruction and lectures.
Therefore, there are students who aren't being reached. While spreading the wealth may be the golden answer, there is much more to our education system than whoever has the money gets the best education.
As a nation we must be invested in education reform. It's important to stand up for the rights of all children and understand that every child deserves an equal education regardless of where they come from.

- Mathus is a senior majoring in education from Chicago, Ill.