Obviously, I don't know PKM's kid, so I can't speculate about what his thought process might be. I can relate something similar from a friend who is a professor at a small Christian college.
The enrollment at this college is largely minority, and he's run into many young people who are similar to the young ladies mentioned in the original post. They are intelligent and have a real interest in learning, but no one has ever challenged them to get things right. The young people who fit this description come from a variety of demographic backgrounds, but this combination seems to be more prevalent among blacks. I don't remember him using this phrase, but when he describes the situation, I'm reminded of President Bush's criticism of "the soft bigotry of low expectations."
I've heard of the problem of many black people looking down on educational achievement. At one time, some writers claimed that studying was considered "acting white" among blacks in school. In my experiences with blacks, I've never seen this attitude, but I don't deny that it could be real in some circles.
Mentioning the race of the young ladies in question may be most relevant because blacks felt so strongly that Clinton was going to help them in education. Many of them really believed that he would "do something" to erase the performance gap between them and the white kids in the suburbs. The fact that these young people whose formative school years were during the Clinton administration didn't learn the basics is more evidence that Clinton failed those who trusted him most.
Ultimately, I still believe that parental involvement will be the biggest factor in a kid's educational success. Either the parent makes learning a priority or not. If the parents don't make learning a priority, most kids won't recognize the value of education until they've lost their best opportunities. If the parents make learning a high priority, they can offset many weaknesses in the schools.
Bill
Thanks! Very well said and you have covered what he has been complaining about.
I see this as one of the reasons the programs to admit minorities that wouldn't qualify otherwise puts them at a handicap in college. My youngest daughter went to a Junior College for a year because her math score was one point below the requirement. It helped her in the long run and I don't see why anyone who cannot meet the requirement doesn't go there as well. Never made any sense to me.