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THE EDUCATION CRISIS - A CHALLENGE [[image]] [[caption]] Mrs. Billy J. Mason, Supreme Basileus, National Sorority, Phi Delta Kappa, Inc. It is said that the Chinese word for crisis is made up of two characters; their character for danger and their character for opportunity. So in Chinese, a crisis is a dangerous opportunity. That's the case in America today. The urban crisis is a dangerous opportunity. It is dangerous because the urban centers can erupt in violence or rot from the cancerous decay. It is an opportunity because we have the challenge to provide the foundation which enable our youth to enjoy life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What is the urban crisis in America that demands our immediate attention? The public education system of this country stands out as one of the most critical. The public schools of the United States are experiencing a decline unprecedented in the annals of education. American education is at the lowest point in history. Each of us, Black and White, rich and poor, suburbanite and city dweller, must face up to this issue. We must consider public education in the light of its full development and its present place in American life throughout the nation and especially in urban centers. The fact that schools are a microcosm of and reflect the larger society in which they are a part cannot be over-looked. Classism and racism are involved in the anti-education behavior of the public. Today, major problems have developed from (1) the fact that public education is not providing the skills required by the masses; (2) the cost of operating schools and (3) the unwillingness of society to support these costs, especially in urban centers. To the majority of property owners and voters, the saving of tax dollars has become more important that saving children. Urban schools suffer the most because their majority population are poor and non-white. A large core of urban parents represent the working poor - people whose income is barely at the subsistence level and an equally large number of parents who receive public assistance and pay no taxes. How does this crisis affect us and what can we do about it? Society will be the victim of crime and vice, drugs, delinquency and unemployment. This will then force society to pay the debt of inadequate educational systems in other ways such as jails, hospitals and welfare, all of which are even more unpalatable and more costly. We must begin to act immediately to offset this crisis and to strengthen today's youth to meet tomorrow's challenges. We must take the initiative to give our attention to some of these crucial areas. We must act to eliminate the educational (Continued on page [[box]] MEETING DATES March 23-25, 1979 Far West Regional Conference Aladdin Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada April 6-8, 1979 Southwest Regional Conference Sheraton Inn, San Antonio, Texas April 13-15, 1979 Southeast Regional Conference Sheraton Hotel, Memphis, Tennessee April 20-22, 1979 Eastern Regional Conference Great Gorge Playboy Resort, McAfee, New Jersey May 4-6, 1979 Midwest Regional Conference Hyatt Regency, Indianapolis, Indiana May 18-26, 1979 Founders Week - Dedication of National Headquarters July 29-August 5, 1979 56th National Conclave Detroit, Michigan [/box]] 173
