Don’t Let Houston Put Us To Shame

L.A. Used To Be a Model Of Juvenile Justice. Why Not Be One Again?

Several weeks ago, I was a spectator in a remarkable classroom. An instructor from India was teaching a group of African-American, Latino, and white high school students about religion in South Asia and showing them pictures of Krishna, Vishnu, and Ganesha on a multimedia “smart board” she controlled with a laptop computer.

As a former teacher and a career civil rights advocate interested in improving education for minority youths, I found the scene heartwarming. But the visit was also heartbreaking.

The class was taking place in a juvenile detention facility in Houston. …