Aww. This happened to me. My senior teacher bought me mockingjay from hunger games series. I was so shook. I cried. In the back; she wrote, “you can travel the world without even leaving your couch”

People get stuck on the racial portion of this Ted Talk and totally skip over the issue of having quality education for more children.

This is why my mom moved us to a small (probably the cheapest apartment) condo in the expensive side of Seattle because those schools in our zone would get so much funding! And did all her purchasing on the other side of town 😂 She didn’t like living where we did but loved her for that! I went to such a great school thanks to her! Lol

" The problems we have as a country, are the problems we created *as a country.* " Sis.

Y'all don't like what she's saying because you know it's true.

I love TED talks from teachers, as they can always articulate their message so well. Kudos to Ms Sumner :)

I went from an Urban area high school where we had a small library with only 6 computers that were way out of date, and old wooden chairs. We had old broken desks in classrooms, old books with the bindings falling apart, and chalkboards. Then I moved to the suburbs my Junior year and their library was as big as a gymnasium, with 30 brand new computers, comfortable seats that reclined, and couches to study on. Our classrooms had tables as desks that were wide enough to fit 3 books, whiteboards, a computer in every classroom, books that were brand new and still in the plastic. It really made you realize how behind an urban area school can be. I was grateful for the opportunities and resources I had, and I went from failing most of my classes Sophomore year to graduating on time and eventually becoming a teacher.

Unfortunately, the best way to keep people under control is to keep them barely educated, and I don't see any change coming any time soon.

It is funny how the country that hails democracy fails to address the other side of the coin.

Education varies so widely from state to state. It's hard to generalize why problems happen the way they do. But teachers whom have actually taught in high poverty schools have valuable opinions that are seldom listened to.

Some people missed the point!!! Her parents (College educated) chose to work in public service. Therefore, she lived in a impoverished school district. She said people can help by donating time, money, resources, opportunities or whatever's in their heart... not just Money! Clearly she's speaking from her experience as a student, as well a Teacher!

This made me cry. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in north east LOs Angeles. Let me rephrase that; a poor and DANGEROUS neighborhood. I’m starting to uncover truths about my educational experience discrimination. And it makes me blood boil. My sister was held back a year because she was bilingual she performed at a level all her classmates did but was discriminated against because mostly spoke Spanish, but on paper she excelled. As for me, my teachers insisted to put me into special education courses because I didn’t talk but again, like my sister I excelled on tests they gave me to test my competency. I understood them but didn’t talk (Thats for another conversation as to why I didn’t talk). My mom had to fight the school for me to continue a “normal”education. I have a younger sister now and she’s in the second grade I want to invest more money into her education and for her to become well rounded. But obviously I am a broke college student who is taking more units than what is considered full time 😕.

"School funding should not be decided by property taxes" Amen!

A passionate speaker lays bare a topic long glossed-over. I had forgotten until this video about the time I bought a dozen books for kids who were economically left out from a book fair. Later I was told they even took their books out to recess to read 'their own book'. Years later it destroys me to remember it. This video will be a periodic mandatory viewing for me, now a Parent-Teacher org. president. Where will you and your kid be years later?

My wife was a math teacher in some of the worst high schools In the Bronx. There were a few things that stood out to me: lack of student attendance, lack of parental guidance, lack of care from the administration. Most of the students missed multiple days a week and when they were present they refused to do the work. When my wife called the parents about their children most of them were angry they were being bothered. The administration didn't want to help, and even told my wife to stop calling parents. My wife ended up quitting and opening her own tutoring business. There are many instances when teachers are terrible, but the students and parents have to put in the effort too. People try to make excuses for everything.

As a black person I get her message; however, teachers can't teach people who don't want to learn. the black community tends to stigmatize those who want to learn and make something of themselves. Because I believed on speaking and writing standard English growing up my peers said that I was trying to "act white" and trying to be better than them. systemized racism exists but the person who wants to learn will no matter what. My life turned out so different from others in my class and we all had the same classes and teachers. I don't blame the system anymore I just show my nephews how they can beat it and come out on top

Less wars, more education, more schools, less jails, and less army. Just give little bit more to the education to create a better society.

I love how she not only focuses on skin color,but backgrounds, and bigger terms, and she acknowledges the big picture. this woman has earned my respect.

Give this girl a triple A+ for the insight she has gained & brought to the forefront and had the gumption to put out there. She should be a principal or school administrator somewhere. She deserves a much deserved raise at least if nothing else. Teachers like her are one in a million!

the lack of compassion and empathy under this video is startling.

There are 3 reasons that American education sucks and Finland is one of the few nations that went out of their way to fix it. Also, their education system is considered the best in the world. 1. The first thing is that you have to be at the top 10% of your graduating class from college in order to become a teacher. 2. The second thing is that all teachers are paid approximately the same as doctors. 3. And the third and final reason Finland's education is the best is because K-12 never receive homework.

Don't blame your economic status on your color, it's fucking stupid. She said it herself, because there is no priority in obtaining wealth in her family, they live in a neighborhood that lacks wealth and a school system that lacks wealth. It is not a cause of her skin color. She also said she wasn't supposed to have "Safe Fields to Play in" I wonder whose fault it is that they don't have safe neighborhoods... and I wonder if Police Men help keep streets safe. High Quality education is exclusive to the rich because they can support it due to their economic status... which is not racism. I wonder if she knows who created slavery and who ended it. Strangers from all over the country cared about the education of those children... and since the majority are white people in america, and other races, how can you blame your educational failures on racism? It has to do with the wealth in the community.

I remember at my zone school we had subs everyday for over a year . We didn’t learn anything at all and all started middle school clueless with the academics .

Hello you random person on the internet. Have a nice day! :)

in the first place All SCHOOLS , whether in the rich suburban areas or poorer inner cities should all have the same resources.

What a passionate teacher.

This isn't a black vs white issue, this is a poor vs rich scenario. Other than that I agree with the video.

Best piece of advice, get your kids in the best school possible. Education is key to economic growth and choice.

As a College Degreed Business Professional single parent of two children, I've raised children in both Urban and Suburban public school districts. What she states in this video rings true in our city/region of America. When my oldest son started school in the urban schools, I encouraged him to do his best and he became a top student. When we moved to a predominantly White suburb where the classes weren't filled with kids that looked like him, and his best still put him behind the majority of their kids in his class. We worked hard for him to catch up and eventually he did. We moved away 4 years later to a predominately Black suburb expecting the same level of education but we found that schools in that district were far behind the one we left. Eventually, I choose the public schools differently and we found better performing schools that prepared him for the University he now attends. My younger son has yet to receive a higher quality education as we are currently back in the inner city. We will leave to a better performing suburban school district soon so that her too can be prepared for college. #my2cents

So, basically I just cried this whole tedtalk. Thank you for validating our experiences and for fighting for the disadvantaged child.

her passion is inspiring

Honestly, it's not that hard to improve the quality of education in inner city schools. The problem isn't the education. The problem is the community and culture that the children live in. Change the culture or community and you can improve their academic performance. Unfortunately, a lot of the time the negative influence is their own family or friends. Inner city education is a deeper problem than just bad schools.

Wow this has been the best TedTalk video I’ve ever seen, thank you Ms. Sumner for opening the eyes of others, every student deserves a HIGH QUALITY EDUCATION no matter rich or poor, color of their skin or special need.

The only reason poverty breeds poverty is the mentality it passes from one generation to the next. A black kid raised by parents with no real ambitions will grow up to have no real ambitions (this is not a racist generalization, it is the reality too many kids grow up in) It's for this reason I agree partly with Sumner's message, there are droves of poor, disproportionately minority schools across the country with few resources to educate kids to rise above their circumstances. Part of the solution is money being put into these places but another (and easier) is teaching kids to rise above their upbringing. This will at least encourage them to not end up in juvy and aspire to better rather than disregard what education they do have and potentially get into better secondary education.

I guess i was really blessed. All the things this young lady spoke of, were available to me, for free in an urban/inner city schools. I went on the best field trips, had after school programs and book fairs. We had a freshly cooked lunch, daily. I was gratefully exposed to so much. I still have a love for learning into my fifties which I'm sure will never stop due to really great teachers and staff that mentored me. I was also accepted into a top tier college as were my high school classmates. The decline came under the Reagan administration, where he took a big pair of scissors and cut everything, from CETA schools and inner cities have suffered all the way around ever since. Which is really and truly most unfortunate.

Slave trade? Schools are separate, but equal? What. I know there are specific race only and specific gender only, but I'm so lost. I don't know any teachers where they are like "oh, the kid is black, let's keep him out". And then the black lives matter thing? I seriously am lost. Someone help.

This was beautifully said. Her passion brought tears to my eyes.

why so much negativity in the comments though

Where are these inner school kid's parents????

I work in educaton. Now, granted, it isn't a black school but I think it is group that has a pretty good claim to oppression. It is on a Native American reservation. It is not about race. Period. It is not about the slave trade. It is about culture. Not the culture of black folk, not the culture of red folks, not the culture of white folks. It is the culture of poverty. Our education system restrains people who are socio-economically depressed and teaches them habits that funnel power and resources upward. Until we stop focusing on race and understand the dynamics we are talking about are all about class, we will continue to chase our tail.

Throwing money away on pools archery classes will not improve SAT scores. She succeeded because her parents were educators who sent her to an all white school. How on Earth can you look at the data and say this problem is entirely due to a lack of funding and completely ignore the role of culture? If we want black kids to succeed, we need to take a serious look at how successful kids are raised. They are given structure, chores, and patient help with homework. White people didn't always turn out so well. These are interpersonal skills that the middle class has perfected over the last century. Start by teaching poor parents these skills and quit wasting our time with partisan nonsense.

I dont know... yeah im white but i dont think the system is against people of color, i grew up in a black and Vietnamese neighborhood. And yeah me and my family are...not middle class, the schools i went to even for the "smarter" kids were filled with kids that really didnt want to put forth the effort to learn, even the other white kids we were all poor and we knew it, the school i went to gave us mac books and a gigantic library and elmos and projectors and all the things we would need to learn easily but everyone destroyed the laptops, wrote all over books tore pages out burned them, the resources where there but the people I graduated with... didnt want to use them so i really dont think this is a race issue, its just that nobody expects anything from someone who starts at the bottom, you kind of have to fight your way to the top, first the children have to break away from the poor mentality and actually want to seek better for themselves, otherwise all the money i. The world being poured into the education system wont help

10:37 “If you neglect a child long enough, you no longer have the right to be surprised when things don’t turn out well.”

To fix education: 1. Get rid of the politics & corruption surrounding it so people who are part of the system don't play social politics at the expense of children and the people within the system can be held more accountable for the students having poor grades. Make the tests much more difficult with more variety and detail so children don't move on with ignorance. 2. Focus more on physical education, but remove any activities that do not benefit students in strength, flexibility, agility, hand-eye coordin, reflexes, and cooperation with others. Any exercise that challenge and improve the minds of students is especially important. Don't let students be weak and fat. Schools should have a physical therapist, so that students that have physical problems get help. 3. Have school end at kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bbVndbCSnr6riHk.htmlm00s PM. This would help adults and should also be economically beneficial. Within that time add more study time. 4. Add two extra grades, 13th & 14th grade, so that more subjects and courses can fit. It makes no sense that people get out of high school so soon in their lives when there is so much that is needed to be learned. 5. Get rid of unnecessary course subjects that don't really help students stay healthy, informed about society and history, and more capable to go to college and have successful careers. Add more subjects and time for Financing, Economics, Business, Psychology, Logic & Reasoning, and Criminology so that students are more capable of surviving on their own and becoming a success, while also informing more about how the world works so they are less likely to become criminals or become victims of scams and other crimes. (It's about time scamming becomes less lucrative for criminals) 6. Make it mandatory for students to pass at least one course of like programming, manufacturing, engineering, etc, so students have more options when they reach adulthood. Also make it so they know how to fix common housing problems themselves so that they don't waste money unless they don't have time to fix things themselves. Then you have more people informed and capable, and the economy will shift and improve as a result.

It definitely starts at home. As a parent, it is always my responsibility to educate my children. While I I am grateful to have access to public schooling; it is ultimately my responsibility to make sure that my children are well educated. Our 3 children went to highly rated suburban schools. I remember when my oldest son was in the 10th grade, he had a horribly incompetent geometry teacher; he complained about her every day. My husband and I nipped the complaining in the bud and explained that it was his responsibility to learn the material weather the teacher taught it or not. I begin to relearn geometry from KZfaq videos so that I could help him with his homework. That same child graduated with honors and double biology degree from Harvard university. He then went on to earn a degree from North Western Law school. Both my husband and I are from the ninth Ward in New Orleans. We both graduated from the same horrible school system. We both went to college and had to begin with remedial classes because of the poor education we received. We vowed that would not be the story for our children and it has not been. There are wonderful schools and wonderful teachers, but kids thrive when their parents invest in their education.

Her speech was empowering but I cannot help to say despite any systemic issues or obstacles that are present... we as the black community must decide that education is important to us and not just wealth. We value money but not intelligence. Black communities have a lot of money, but we invest it in the wrong things and not our future “Children” We love our sons making it to the NBA or NFL but will let them drop out of college to make a million they can’t count but refuse to use their athletic abilities to educate them and so many other examples that we stress talents to be celebrities but not education or strong families

I'd much rather see education managed at the state level and the revision of the Federal Department of Education to be a forum for sharing ideas so that all 50 states can learn from one another. That way, the power to determine educational policies can be managed at a local level (empower the people to better themselves) and we can learn and borrow from 50 petri dishes instead of being told what the one-size-fits-all answer is from some federal agency hundreds/thousands of miles away. "It's not tyranny we desire; it's a just, LIMITED, federal government." - A. Hamilton

EDUCATION STARTS AT HOME!!! PERIOD!!!

The race problem arises from the overarching socioeconomic issues that have transcended from scars left from segregation. Black kids are predominantly in worse schools because as Mrs. Sumner mentions: "Wealth was never a goal in my family." A lack of wealth corresponds to a crappier education for all peoples. People of color in particular were and ARE disadvantaged due to the lasting effects of segregation that we all agree is an atrocity. Millions of black kids receive a poor education and will sadly lead lives of poverty. Nobody is denying that. Mrs. Sumner's anger is not misplaced. Segregation is of a different time, but now is the time to finally incorporate oppressed peoples as full-fledged members of our society. This requires the co-operation from man of every creed. When Mrs. Sumner hisses with dissent at the more-privileged white child's typical upbringing, it resurfaces issues that caused segregation in the first place- hatred for a certain race. But revisiting past issues cannot solve them; Mrs. Sumner's anger is misdirected. The past cannot be changed, no more than we can raise again the millions of unfortunate children were born to a poor black family. By demanding retribution, all that anybody can do is apologize and ban the topic in colloquial speech in order to avoid inciting social violence. But of course, apologizing will not save the black child's future. We should stop apologizing and heal. We need to move forward, together, by demanding the government to lift people up from poverty. In today's day and age, money is power. If we can make black neighborhoods richer, we can peacefully solve the issue.

coming from the perspective of a person who grew up in an impoverished area in the south, I agree with her sentiment however I feel you are incorrectly linking it to race. It's a poverty divide not race. I grew up in an incredible diverse yet entirely broke neighborhood with an equally broke school in Lakeland FL. Nationwide you will find plenty of different skin tones of broke kids at poor schools however, you rarely find mixes in poverty level at the same school.

I am a middle schooler. I have been blessed with a very good school. Now that I here about this, I will definitely try to contribute. Before this video, I honestly thought all different colors of kids go to a school that happen to have mostly caucasians. Because before I went to this new school I had gone to a school that happen to have mostly Hispanic children. I was ignorant of the education difference between me and those contemporary. This is definitely an idea that needs to be acted upon.

This isn't a rich vs poor, this is broken family vs not broken family. 95% of the students our city have both parents living in the household. You can dump billions and billions into inner city schools and you will get the EXACT SAME RESULTS!!! The inner cities have stolen millions and millions from the schools. In Detroit millions of state funds were being stolen by the board members to take their families on vacation to Europe, but we'll not talk about that will we. How about 85% of inner city kids coming from broken families? Let's not talk about that. There are poor kids in our city that do amazing and great.. how? They have both parents in the house and children are tough respect.

My single mom taught us to read at 3 and 4 and used the public school as a babysitting service while she worked part time. She spent a lot if quality time with us. Why don't today's parents take responsibility. There are no longer quality schools. They are dictated to the common core by the NEA.

Made me cry when you said girl said "this one was so good!"" I really cried. (coming from a privileged "average white guy" from,the Merica....

1 minute since the vid is posted and there's already dislikes.. why..

So: blame the teachers...really? *72%* of black kids are raised by single parent (compare that to the 24% by 1965) ; and 25% overall in USA...One in four! What about other countries? *14%*...So: the teachers??? 3 Tips to stay away from poverty in USA: 1) Have a Dad and Mom. 2) Finish school. 3) Marry before having children. Men who didn’t have Fathers won’t make good Fathers...and Black Fathers are an anomaly. Its a cultural thing...change it!

it's not that schools are segregated, it's that a disproportionate amount of back people are poor.

Education begins at home. What you instill in your kids is what makes them. It's not the system that defines them.

As a kid who went to school in Chicago, then moved to Nashville for a bit of high school, the differences were glaring and saddened me when I went back home and realized my friends weren’t even given a chance to succeed 💯

I'm sorry, I find it hard to be convinced. She comes from a unique situation in that she works at a school completely different from the one she attended; is she saying that if she attended that school in her neighborhood, she would have been another statistic? I went to that "school in our neighborhood" that had one white child in the whole system; i have my degree in Mathematics and i know several classmates that have advanced degrees. There were a lot of dropouts as well. The difference seemed to be, for a greater part, the values instilled at home. People might think I'm being anecdotal in my view, but i guess i think it's important because I'm speaking from the point of view of someone who had to make the choice in the moment, and not observing from the teacher's view.

My school favoritised the rich kids who's parents were very good donators to the school's funds, charities, clubs, and supplies, but when it came to the children who had a family that couldn't afford the extra money for the school that they would use to chip in, they would absolutely toss the kid aside and not give them the help they need or would allow the others to do things that not all students should do within the school's rules and grounds. Which only makes bullying, order in school rules, and teaching a lot worse within the school system and for the students, even the gifted students as well. That only equals to no growth and real problem solving with the students and the education

My school said to young me that I am a failure and tried to make me wanna become a janitor but I refused and I’m going to own a huge business and fix all this and become the world’s greatest hero

WOW , I can relate so much . I participated in GATE program when I was in elementary school & I credit that experience for why I am so ambitious today. I saw another world & I wanted a piece of it. I knew it was a different world from where I came from but I told myself I'd break away. It doesn't stop there though. Even when you do break away you look back in despair because you know well that you're leaving behind a whole community that has raised you. I still haven't figured out this dilemma entirely but i imagine it's a lifelong process. In the meantime I hold my roots with me everywhere life takes me.

The number one problem in public schools today, centers on unruly, disrespectful, violent and abusive students. I taught in the inner city for over 10-years. Every day, there were fights, and blatant disrespect from too many students. The number one problem with my underperforming kids was they were not read to by parents when they were children.

Great talk! Yes to building the future for all our children! Black, brown, and native lives matter :)

S H A R E D "If your (child, loved one) goes to an affluent school, change your school committee to adopt an impoverished school or an impoverished classroom. Close the divide by engaging in communication and relationships that matter. When resources are shared, they're not divided. They are multiplied." On a micro level, if you're a human being, donate time, money, resources, opportunities, whatever is in your heart. What is a carpenter with no tools? What is an actress with no stage?What is a scientist with no laboratory? What is a doctor with no equipment. I'll tell you - they are my kids. Shouldn't they be your kids, too?" Kandice Sumner - Teacher

Parents in poverty are the keepers of their children’s future.

I just clicked on the video and saw so many dislike so I went to the comment section and got surprised by the "hate" but I think at least it shows that people are interested by what she has to say. I miss the old ted talks too but like, people come here to increase the debate so we should be supportive

when can't people realize it is not about race. it is about family, parents, community's attitudes about education.

I am mexican I was educated in public schools my whole life and then I had the opportunity to teach math and science. It is completely clear to me that educational system tends to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. People who opine here are attacking base on racisim. You HAVE to be there and see and feel the reality.. It is overwhelming

I'm white. From 1998-2002, I attended a private school. My white teachers thought I was stupid, I was teased by other students, my grades were low, and I had anxiety (as a result, I didn't eat or sleep well). I was homeschooled in the fall of 2002. I didn't have an easy home life. In my home, there were many unstable days. I experienced some domestic violence, saw my parents fight, endured financial insecurity (sometimes we struggled with food), and dealt with the screaming of my autistic brother. Honestly, there were days when I wanted to kill myself (and I tried when I was 16). Guess what? I'm well-educated. Why? Because I put in some effort. I was highly curious, and I wanted to learn. When I began college (a community college not a university) in 2012, I did better than my public-school classmates. My teachers never complained about my writing skills. My projects were organized well. The other students complained about the work. Unfortunately, my grades occasionally struggle which is why I don't have access to scholarships. I'm an avid reader. I read books such as Machiavelli's The Prince and Thomas Paine's The Age of Reason. I'm fascinated with Egyptian mythology, economics, and history. I'm in an online bachelor's program studying Political Science. However, I might have to withdraw because of my financial situation. I lost my income. So while my black peers are at universities, receiving scholarships, and getting state jobs (this is occurring in my Southern community), I'm unemployed and withdrawing from school. This is the narrative I'm experiencing: black=opportunity rich+white=a lot of opportunity Poor+white+some Native blood=no opportunity I keep trying. People tell me, "You seem like a smart young lady". However, they hire someone else (usually a black person or a senior citizen). I don't hate blacks. This is what I experience. You can share your thoughts on the matter. I won't get offended.

I don’t think it’s colorism or racism. It’s really about family backgrounds(education level, socioeconomic status, how much parents value education etc. )

What's missing here is a discussion of the incredibly high single motherhood rate (76% last I checked) within the black community. *The single greatest correlating factor to academic failure, poverty, juvenile delinquency and future incarceration is SINGLE MOTHERHOOD.* This is not just a race thing either. This is seen across the board, by every measure children of any race raised by single mothers, do far worse than those with two parents. There may be the few exceptional outliers like Obama, but for every Obama there are thousands of non-successful children. Address the single motherhood rate (and what caused it [welfare]), and you will solve SO MANY PROBLEMS including education.

Oh, the solution to all the problems described is fairly straightforward: School Choice. Allow students to choose their school, and let funding follow them. This is opposed by the Teacher's Union? Well, now we know what the problem _really_ is.

I am so happy that people are donating to your class and it made a difference to your students perception of the world around them.

this video is required for my English Ed courses, and is now more important than ever. Thanks, Ms. Sumner.

I thank you so much for delivering this message I'm 69 years old and the previous college student, and I know for a fact that throughout all of my years no true black history about our culture has ever been taught in the educational system that's why I feel it's important to be reformed, our young blacks need to know that we were inventors, great politicians

This made me cry. Quality Education for all.

Thank you TED for sharing this Talk with us. There is a lot of disagreement in the comments about her topic, but she is spot on. The problem will never be resolved if we don’t talk about what is going on. Race and racism is, was and will continue to be an issue as long as we have people who are blind and believe that races isn’t an issue in this country. And all kids want to learn, but first we have to show them that we care and they deserve to be taught.

Thank you for showing real love to the children and their future and our nation's future. Keep on speaking, keep on praying, let's keep on fighting! I really got what's in your heart. I have seen it myself.

Love this. There has got to be a way to stop funding public schools with property taxes.

I've never had something resonate so much with me. As a Romani person I was ostracized by my peers and even a few racist teachers. And as someone with SLI, I struggled againt a system that was designed specifically around people like me being locked away and never allowed the chance to be educated. I would excell in class and in coursework but fail in exams becaue SLI affects my ability to articulate myself in such a small timeframe. Luckily I loved education and struggled to University; where exams are now 3+ hours long and most of my degree is assessed by coursework lab's. I'm excelling and predicted 1st's, but god it was a struggle. I can't how many times I cried myself to sleep as a kid CONVINCED I was failing because I was too dumb. Now I know that it's not me, but an outdated archaic system that only benefits the; white, neurotypical and rich.

Excellent talk. Congratulations Kandice. I wasn't a Metco student but understand the value that Metco brings to those in the inner city of Boston. Intellectual talent is not localized to any one community or gender. The lack of opportunities is however a huge problem. I grew up with your parents and I am sure they are proud of the educator you have become. Wish you continued success in helping students fulfill their potential.

In Texas, funding equality is not as much of a problem as it was before 1993 thanks to the various statewide school wealth sharing schemes that go by the name “Robin Hood” plans. One of the big issues now is poverty that is concentrated geographically. Unfortunately, tons of apartment complexes were built in Texas in the 1980s. When the economy collapsed those complexes were bought cheap by investors. Instant low-income housing. There was so much of this housing that it affected school enrollment and concentrated poor people in certain areas. That number of people has an impact on school culture.

I'm divided on this topic because of how difficult college is, but were taking public school k-12 I think. and although institutional racism Is definitely well and alive, I don't see why parents don't work hard to put their kids in better schools and band together to live in better areas. my parents had to immigrate from India to get the same access and then made sure I went to okay schools (not private but definitely not poor). they didnt even know English and they made it. I'm not an exception, as many other immigrants do this. so wtf? why is it so much worse off for people who already know English and are already here?

Would a novel idea be having a 2 parent household with good values who care about truancy from school? That’s an antiquated idea. More billion dollar educational stimulus are working.

Where are the parents responsible for their children?😊

If I keep telling you you're oppressed one day you might believe it.

I wish there were more teachers like her.

Sis, where are you??? I'd put my kids back in public school if they could go thru 12th grade with you!!!!

I truly feel like the solution to this is school choice. I know many folks disagree on this, but to me it seems unreasonable to trust a corrupt government to fix the problems of the education system, when history has consistently shown us that they won't, nor do they have any incentive to.

Aw man, that last part had me crying. Perfectly well said, the truth is here and this needs to be everywhere!

I can't even finish listening to this. I don't agree with anything she's talking about.

This is what happens when we got under our enemies When we intergrated we lost everything. GOD told us to come from amoung them and what did we do we integrated with them and lost ourselves

Found your Talk researching equal access to education for my Human Services class and listening to you speak is so moving. The truths you speak combined with your passion is so inspiring. I of course have to include so many different points in my paper but this Ted Talk is all the information anybody needs.

Vouchers. Give the parents the opportunity to choose the best school for their children. Chicago union teachers send their own children to private schools at higher rates than any other group.

The achievement gap is a real problem. Unfortunately Kandice is quite ignorant of the facts. Here's one: Across the US whites perform the same whether they are in "white" schools or "black" schools. Tell me again how it's impossible to learn in "black" schools? This is a thin anecdotal argument that ignores data and jumps to conclusions. It's always sad to see a complicated and nuanced issue boiled down to such simplistic terms....(everything is the fault of racism!)

Went to Public School my entire life. Graduated. Now have a car, a house, no debt, and well over 15k sitting in the bank. 21. It's not your circumstances, it's what you're made of.

Lady, you had to be bused to another school because your parents chose a calling, while the rich kids parents chose money. You can’t have your pie and eat it too. My parents made a lot of money, but worked 120 hours a week. They chose wealth. Not saying they made the best decision, but they chose it and suffered consequences too. Maybe those with more lax jobs with less responsibilities and financial risk should be bused to homes of small business owners and neurosurgeons to help the kids have an adult around. Use your freedom to choose wisely, but remember to own your decisions. They’re nobody’s fault but your own.

Some majority black and brown schools are among the most well funded in America, yet they still "underperform". Kansas City spent $2 billion to create lavish schools for its urban population with every conceivable amenity, but this had no effect on test scores. Learning isn't about money.