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Might be time to go after the parents. (One Writer''s Perspective).

Article Excerpt
So, education is finally back on the front burner where it belongs. Gov. Ronnie Musgrove's State of the State address made it clear that education would be job one. It is encouraging to hear the governor and leaders of the Legislature say our schools will be their immediate priority.

Of course, what Musgrove and the Legislature are talking about is money. I think most of us feel our schools need extra investment. To continue to lag behind in teacher pay and to cut school budgets is unthinkable. We simply can't afford it. But can we afford to keep funding educational programs and initiatives, as we have for decades now, which have been largely failures? Our students are still underachieving. We've invested, and the return has been disappointing at best.

Reasons given for Mississippi's failing grade in education are many. But one cause--and I believe the root of the problem--is apparent. Too many Mississippi children are not getting...