The American education system is failing. This subject comes up regularly in the news. Failing schools are a problem that must be solved. However, it cannot be solved until we understand its true cause. Many people blame the government, school officials and teachers. Critics such as Geoffrey Canada, the founder of the Harlem Children's Zone, say the problem lies with public schools. He states, “Public schools are bad, privately run charter schools are good” (Ravitch 1). This statement may be true, but there must also be an underlying cause for low academic achievement. No one ever thinks that students might have anything to do with this problem. These are the students who take tests, pay attention in class, and do their homework. However, from another point of view, it is not always the child's fault. Perhaps other factors contribute to this. Some students want to succeed but they don't always have the resources to get there. These reasons are student determination, financial limitations, family support, insufficient housing and poor diet. Some students want to succeed in life, but success must be defined in order to determine the criteria for success. According to Merriam-Webster, success is “a degree of achievement” and “a favorable or desired outcome.” In other words, success is about setting a series of goals in order to achieve a greater goal or accomplishment. When a person tries to succeed, the student needs the necessary resources and support from those around them. For Dan Goldhaber, an economist at the University of Washington, academic success is caused by problems that have nothing to do with school (Ravitch 2). There are students who can succeed in... middle of paper ...... Children's Day: 2006 (Selected Indicators of Child Well-Being). Current Demographic Reports, P70-118. United States Census Bureau, Washington, DC “Education.” Current issues: Macmillian Social Sciences Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale, Opposing Views in Context. Internet. February 8, 2011. Kettering Foundation. Too Many Children Left Behind: How Can We Close the Achievement Gap? Ed. Carolyn Farrow-Garland and Ilse Tebbetts. Dayton, Ohio: Kettering Foundation, 2007. Print “Poverty.” Current issues: Macmillian Social Sciences Library. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale: Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Internet. February 8, 2011. Ravitch, Diane. “The Myth of Charter Schools by Diane Ravitch | The New York Review of Books.” Home | The New York Review of Books. November 11, 2010. The web. February 8. 2011. .