Not too long after I cheered the tremendous feat of the entire senior class of Chicago's only public all-male, all-African-American high school (Urban Prep Academy for Young Men in Englewood); which have all been accepted to four-year colleges...I was stunned. I was proud of the young men when I read that Mayor Richard Daley and Chicago Public Schools chief Ron Huberman surprised them at a school assembly to congratulate them. They are the first graduating class at Urban Prep since opening its doors in 2006. Then I became especially proud of them after reading that only 4 percent of this year's senior class read at grade level as freshmen, according to Tim King, the school's CEO. These students have succeeded where many have failed and it was with the help of the administrative staff that they were instilled with the desire to even go to college while living in the midst of the city's troubled neighborhoods.

"I never had a doubt that we would achieve this goal," King said. "Every single person we hired knew from the day one that this is what we do: We get our kids into college."

Inspired and curious; I decided to check other predominately African American school systems. And what I found was not pretty.

1. Fulton County (GA) school board members voted 6-1 to cut nearly 1,000 personnel positions, including more than 500 teachers, from its 2011 budget.
2. DeKalb County in suburban Atlanta is considering closing 12 schools over the next two years to help trim an anticipated $88 million deficit.
3. Kansas City, Mo., school district announced plans to shut down nearly half its schools by the start of classes in the fall.
4. St. Louis public schools spokeswoman Julie Linder said the superintendent there has indicated "everything is on the table" to stem a projected $57.5 million shortfall.
5. The Doors are expected to shut on more than a quarter of Detroit's 172 public schools in June as the district fights through steadily declining enrollment and a budget deficit of more than $219 million; adding to the already closed 29 schools before the start of classes last fall and shuttered 35 buildings from about three years ago.

My heart is heavy and my soul is weakened by this news. Especially when you factor in the economy and you know that many of the parents of these students will not be able to afford a private school to even continue with the education of their children. Not to mention that not all of these students will be granted the opportunity to join the charter schools in their areas due to the fact that there may be a lottery involved and/or overcrowding.

So, while some of the country cheers for the recent historic health movement. What are we going to do about education? Where is the solution? Or are we to resign ourselves to the fact that we are bolstering in a new era of healthy uneducated children?