@ NBVegita i grew up in a poor area too, and i went to a school where NOBODY cared about education. my school was poorly funded, ripped up and not enough textbooks, etc. i mean, when you're from a bad neighborhood and the schools are in that condition, what does that tell the students? that their education doesn't matter because they aren't even supplied with the basic things to learn. i understand that people make their own choices, and it's possible to go far if they put their mind to it, but you also have to realize that the area one grows up in affects the amount and quality of resources they get. kids in !@#$%^&* neighborhoods don't care simply because they aren't shown that their future is important. they go to !@#$%^&* schools, they're misguided because their parents are always working, which leads them to give in to peer pressure and commit crimes and so on. also, in my opinion, the education system in america is flawed. there are different levels to, for example, math. i believe it was level 2, level 5, level 7 and AP (i don't quite remember). but what happens with this is that students who are slower in learning and require more help, are pushed to the bottom. it's like a ranking system, so those at the bottom feel helpless. where students who are quick and are able to learn at a faster pace are put in more advanced classes. this creates an unequal path. basically, students who get put in the low level classes don't try because what's the point? the system is set up to benefit those in the higher levels. if a kid doesn't know how to do simple math by grade 6, a lot of it is the education system, as well as on him/her.