The most disturbing response about school I receive from children around the country comes when I ask a simple question: “How are you doing in school and how are your grades?” The common response I receive is: “I am passing or I passed.”  And it’s almost always given in a matter of fact tone.  (Mind you, I’ve never received such a response from a St. Philip’s student or graduate.)
It troubles me to see such a consistent lack of academic aggressiveness and intellectual pursuit in so many children and youth. They still haven’t connected their grades with future success. 

As we wrap up another academic year for schools across the country, I can’t help reflecting on how costly academic failure is to our country. More disturbing is the mediocrity that seems to be shredding the fabric of our society. 

Additionally, as we approach the summer, thousands of children will experience devastating summer learning loss due to a lack of academic enrichment opportunities. At St. Philip’s, we work to combat this issue through our summer programming. More institutions in our community and country should focus on the same. It’s a critical investment that we can’t afford to ignore or overlook. 

“Passing” should never be the single target or goal for students as the “just passing” standard only promises to let life pass you by.  That’s a price too big for our children and society to pay. 

Failure is not free.