Americans may be divided on many issues but one issue around which we should all unite is that of high quality education for our children. It is, I believe, the new civil rights struggle of our time.

The opportunity that turned America into the world’s most innovative and dynamic economy is now in jeopardy. Today, 70 percent of people born into low-income households will remain at that income level. We can no longer say that it doesn’t matter where you came from; it matters where you are going, because poverty has become an inheritance. This dynamic is not only dragging down our citizens but also compromising our future economic prosperity, global position, and national security.

While we can do little to change the circumstances of a child’s birth, we can do much to give that child an opportunity to rise above his or her circumstance and succeed in life. That opportunity begins with a quality education.

Education is the great equalizer. Yet all too often our most disadvantaged children are stuck in schools we know will not equip them to succeed. When we can look at zip codes and tell if a child is going to get a good education or not, that is the highest form of inequality for our children.

It doesn’t have to be this way. All children – be they rich or poor, black or white, Hispanic or Asian – are born eager to learn. We simply have to put them into a situation where that can happen.

This is the mission of the Foundation for Excellence in Education – to reorganize priorities in our school system and put the achievement of children at the top of the list. We know how to do it, and we know the gains that result from it.

ExcelinEd works with courageous education leaders to focus education policies on students. One by one, states are developing local solutions to a national education crisis. They are making bold changes to ensure students have the skills, teachers, and educational choices necessary to succeed. We are proud to support this work.

All children deserve the opportunity to become an American success story. Their futures –and the future of this nation – depend on that opportunity.

Sincerely,

Dr. Condoleezza Rice

Board Chair of the Foundation for Excellence in Education