"More Straight Talk from Bill Cosby"

Deborah Schoch:

But while some black leaders and educators have condemned his criticisms, he was greeted with sustained applause Saturday when he took on the black educational system in front of hundreds of Los Angeles area parents, teachers and students at Maranatha Community Church in the Crenshaw district.

Cosby was the keynote speaker at a forum titled "Education Is a Civil Right," organized by local black educators to help forge an African American education agenda.

No subject was sacred.

Cosby chastised those black parents who he said fail to involve themselves in their children's education, know what subjects they're studying, visit their schools or meet the teachers. Some fail to monitor their children's habits, he said.

"We've got parents who won't check the bedrooms of their children to see if there's a gun," he said.

He chided teachers for not explaining clearly to students who ask, "Why do I need to know this?" that their algebra and English classes can help them obtain higher-paying jobs.

Posted by Jim Zellmer at October 29, 2006 7:10 AM
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