Hope for the future?

"Young people need hope to thrive in school, beyond," by Bruce Fuller, SF Chroncile. Feb. 13, 2011

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/02/13/INRR1HKVTN.DTL&type=education

This is very interesting article about how hope, or the lack thereof, as expressed by school children bodes for our future. A recent poll found that 3 of 5 Californian school kids were very worried about finding a job, and working long hours to pay for college. The poll, conducted by New America Media, a network of 2000 ethnic media organizations, found that 3 of 5 students also expressed deep angst about money and making it through college. Another 2 in 5 were concerned that California's budget crisis is jeopradizing their education and their ability to get ahead in life.
Despite these discouraging numbers, the poll, which interviewed 600 youngsters, did report that the majority of those interviewed expressed positive feelings about the "American dream" and their prospects for the future. The article highlighted the following four areas for improvement in public education: first, create more work apprenticeships; second, rethink schools with bold new curricula, design, etc.; third, get beyond test scores; and fourth, see that different entities (gov't. and private sector work together for job creation in the future.
This story is relevant to just about anybody that cares about the future, as our children's attitude about the future is a good barometer of what that future will look like.