The Colorado Children’s Campaign recently reported that the number of Colorado children living in poverty grew by 73% (87,000 children) from 2000 to 2006 – the nation’s highest rate of growth.

Over the weekend, the Denver Post examined this troubling increase. Economist Harry Holzer of the Washington-based Urban Institute and Georgetown University told the paper that “the problem is partly societal barriers – like bad schools in bad neighborhoods — and partly lack of initiative and failure of will.”

The statistics bear this out.

• More than 60% of the 1.2 million U.S. dropouts each year are from low-income families.

• In Colorado, where 16,500 high school students fail to graduate on time, the low-income graduation rate is 59%. In Denver only 45% of low-income students earn a diploma.

• Research shows that high school dropouts earn $260,000 less over the course of their lifetime.

Providing low-income children with a quality education - wether in a traditional public school, a charter school, or a private school - should be a state and national priority.

But if we continue to force low-income parents to send their children to schools that are not giving them the tools to work themselves out of poverty, we can’t possibly complain about a “failure of will” on their part. Provide them with options and most parents will find the “will” to choose the school that’s best for their child.