Michelle Obama: I wanted to share some of my thoughts on today's Supreme Court decision...

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43. To make this happen, communities around the country

need to get such programs set up. Churches might be a good place for the programs to get established. My church has an after school program 3 days a week to tutor grade school kids from disadvantaged backgrounds on basics. The materials come out of the church budget and are not expensive - books, paper, snacks, and educational toys. There are some retired teachers who are members of the church who act as volunteer tutors. The school that the kids come from provides a school bus to deliver them and pick them up. The school's teachers provide workbooks and worksheets with notes to the church's tutors on what the kids need help with.

Similar programs could be set up for high school students who want to get into good colleges. Volunteer retired and active teachers could work with them on writing skills, math and science courses, social studies, literature, etc. The science courses might need labs, but maybe arrangements could be made to use the labs at a better equipped high school or a nearby state college campus.

Volunteers could also do practice interviews with the kids and coach them on entrance exams.

Other organizations besides churches might get involved in such programs. YWCA and YMCA, Boys and Girls clubs, public service clubs (Elks, Moose, Lions) could have such programs in communities that need them, or at least raise money for them for materials. Businesses that might become future employers could form groups to sponsor tutoring programs. Black businesses and professionals could be role models for the students, offering summer internships for the kids to get hands on experience in their areas of interest. Same for businesses and professionals in other ethnic and racial groups.

By bridging the gap between disadvantaged students and privileged ones, academic preparation groups can give students a more equal playing field for acceptance into higher ed.

It takes commitment and willpower. It can be done. It should be done.