Rep. Fattah Cites Unequal Educational Opportunity as National Defense Threat
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-Pa.), preparing legislation designed to compel equal access to educational opportunity across school districts, today pointed to a significant new report that documents the little-understood impact of educational disparities on military recruiting.
The Education Trust's report released today, "Shut Out of the Military: Today's High School Education Doesn't Mean You're Ready for Today's Army," cites compelling evidence of the effect of inequitable educational opportunity on the ability of Americans to serve in the military.
The report finds that almost one-quarter (23 percent) of recent high school graduates fail the enlistment entrance exam for the armed services. That number is considerably higher for African Americans – 39 percent of whom do not reach the qualifying minimum score, versus 16 percent of White applicants and 29 percent of Hispanics.
The Education Trust report comes as Fattah, the Congressional champion for leveling the playing field between rich and poor
