While I was talking to some of the teachers about the challenges they faced, one young teacher mentioned what she called the “These Kids Syndrome”—the willingness of society to find a million excuses for why “these kids” can’t learn; how “these kids come from tough backgrounds” or “these kids are too far behind.” “When I hear that term, it drives me nuts,” the teacher told me. “They’re not ‘these kids.’ They’re our kids.” How America’s economy performs in the years to come may depend largely on how well we take such wisdom to heart.
