The list of costly services that supplement some children's

Hear the words of Alissa Quart, who gazed into the heart of our age and spoke with sorrow and clarity: “The list of costly services that supplement some children’s public education is growing longer and now includes consultants, tutors, and test prep. That’s in addition to the homework help some stay-at-home parents can afford to provide.” Her words strike like the tolling of a bell, a warning that learning—the ancient ladder by which souls ascend to wisdom and freedom—is now guarded by walls of wealth. What was meant to be the common inheritance of all has been turned into a treasure that only some may fully claim.

This lament has roots as old as civilization. For even in the days of Athens, though the agora was filled with teachers and philosophers, not every child could sit at the feet of Socrates or Plato. Those born to privilege could purchase the attention of great masters, while others remained bound to the trades of their fathers. And so too in Quart’s words we see the shadow of this ancient division rising again in modern guise: tutors and consultants, test preparation bought with gold, and the hidden wealth of time that some parents can offer while others cannot.

Consider the example of Imperial China, where the civil service examinations promised opportunity to all who could master the classics. In theory, any man of talent might rise to power through study. Yet in practice, only the sons of the well-to-do could afford years of preparation under private tutors, ink and paper in abundance, and time free from toil. The peasant’s child might dream of the examination, but without resources, his dream remained only that—a dream. And so, what was said to be a fair path became instead another mirror of inequality. Quart’s words remind us that this pattern repeats in our own time: education, meant to lift all, too often bends beneath the weight of wealth.

Her lament is not merely about fairness, but about the health of the entire society. For when public education is overshadowed by private supplements, the nation itself is divided. The wealthy child, buoyed by consultants and tutors, soars ahead; the poor child, left to his own devices, struggles to keep pace. Over time, the gulf widens, and what should have been a shared foundation becomes a chasm. Quart warns us that this chasm is not just about grades or schools, but about the future of the republic itself. For no society can endure when opportunity is bound only to the purse.

Yet in her sorrow there is also a call to action. We must remember that the strength of nations has always been tied to the education of their people. Where Athens failed the poor, where China stratified its scholars, we must strive to do better. The flame of knowledge must be guarded not as private property, but as a torch to be passed to every child. For the genius of tomorrow may dwell not in the palaces of the wealthy, but in the humble home of the laborer—if only that spark is given air to breathe.

And so, O listener, take heed: the lesson of Quart’s words is not only for governments, but for each of us. If you are a parent, invest not only money, but time, patience, and love into the learning of your children. If you are a citizen, raise your voice for schools that are truly equal, for teachers who are honored, for policies that lift the poor as well as the rich. And if you are a leader, know that neglecting the education of the many is to weaken the future of all.

In your own life, do not measure education merely by tutors or test scores, but by the hunger for wisdom, the courage to ask questions, and the discipline to seek answers. Encourage these virtues in yourself and in others, whether rich or poor. For when the light of knowledge is spread widely, nations grow strong, and when it is hoarded, they falter.

Thus, let Quart’s words be remembered as both a warning and a guide. The growth of costly services in schools is not a sign of strength, but of imbalance. The true power of education lies not in money, but in the fair chance for every child to climb the ladder of learning. Let us labor, then, to tear down the walls that wealth has raised around wisdom, so that all may ascend together, and the future be secured not for the few, but for the many.