The ZIP code where your child grows up should not determine his or her chances of achieving success. Regrettably it can. Growing up in certain neighborhoods is connected to greater risk of abuse and neglect, dropping out of school, homelessness and struggling financially as an adult.

Thirty years ago, the late Gov. Mario Cuomo, in his speech at the Democratic Convention, spoke of a Tale of Two Cities, where "students can't afford the education they need ... there are more poor than ever, more families in trouble, more and more people who need help but can't find it."