Few of us would say building more prisons will bring us a brighter future. Better to invest in schools that lead children to success and good jobs. The sad realities are that New York State has the most segregated public schools in the country, and that Rochester's schools top the list. Additionally, the best and worst performing schools in the State are in the Rochester area and within 5 miles of one-another.

It was not always like this. All across the country we have seen an increase in poverty, an increase in single parent families, an increase in incarceration and an increase in school dropouts in minority communities. These factors are interrelated and well described in this video of a presentation by Michelle Alexander, Associate Professor of Law at Ohio State University, and author of "The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness".

The understanding of the issues discussed in this presentation will be a good basis from which to choose effective paths to craft better schools and to address the many mistakes we, as a society, have made to get us where we are. I urge you to take the time to look at it.