Education: Gibbs-Boling expresses profound truth

Re: “The uncomfortable truth of Nathan Gibbs-Bowling” (Matt Driscoll column, 1-28).

“Uncomfortable truth” is profoundly true, and we ignore or discount it at our peril. Driscoll’s report is a vital public service.

Inequality of education based on where you live and the financial resources of your parents is a threat to our national economy and our political future. It feeds a critical deterioration of our human capital, the most precious resource we have. It limits the development of the one “natural resource” we most need to thrive.

In recent months I have been trying to educate myself about the causes and consequences of the gross inequality of income in America, and the associated inequality of opportunity. My current reading is “The Great Divide” by globally respected economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Hundreds of times in this collection of previously published articles he returns to the crucial assertion that inequality of education, such as Gibbs-Boling describes, robs our nation of unknown quantities or creativity and trained energy - the most vital resource this nation has. And everybody pays the price, even the most affluent among us.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 10:02 AM with the headline "Education: Gibbs-Boling expresses profound truth."