It seems like every day the idea of an alternative universe grows ever more apparent in Milwaukee.

Just think of the last few days.

In our first universe we have the marvelous day of new billionaire owners of the Milwaukee Bucks, massive pledges to building a new arena and the excitement of the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers.

In our second universe we have a study by the very respected Annie M. Casey Foundation that says Wisconsin ranks as the worst state in the nation when it comes to racial disparities for children.

The foundation, a 66-year-old charitable trust that concentrates on child and family issues, released the study called "Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children." The study scored states according to 12 different factors, ranging from early childhood, education, work, family supports, neighborhoods and socioeconomic status.

Wisconsin was last. Behind Mississippi and Tennessee and Georgia. Holy Cow! About 70 percent of the black kids in the state live in Milwaukee, so this is our problem.

While there is this tremendous attention being paid to the new arena and a new entertainment district Downtown, I don’t hear much about the plight of black children in our area. I hear hardly anything at all.

I think the new arena is crucial to our city and that the idea of a new entertainment district is a great idea whose time has come. The development is going to truly raise our profile nationally and provide expanded opportunities locally.

The one thing that is counter-productive to anything happening is for people to say "well if we didn’t build the arena we’d have money for this or that." These things are not related, nor should they be.

The danger, however, is that while we our attention is focused on infrastructure development, we are running the risk of being eaten alive from the inside by our neglect. As the black population continues to grow and face the bleak future we are faced with having a huge number of people with virtually nothing to do. Dreams, yes. But not much hope.

I am not here to argue about racism, white or black. I’m not going to talk about the past sins or the historical barriers to opportunity.

There are only two things to talk about. Admit we have a major problem and figure out what to do about it.

The research is pretty clear that educational success is the biggest factor in individual success. By any measure, Milwaukee Public Schools has failed to develop a successful way to educate black children. (Editor’s note: In recently released state WKCE test scores, voucher schools in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program scored lower than MPS in math and reading.)

A lot of people blame the kids. Bad neighborhoods. Lousy home life. Single parent. No role models.

That kind of thinking is severely flawed. There is too much research, both scientific and anecdotal that proves children from even the most dysfunctional backgrounds can be successful if they receive an appropriate education.

I am watching, with perhaps more than just a little amusement, the MPS school board search for a new superintendent. And I want to scream that "It hardly makes any difference."

Almost all research shows that the first year of a new superintendent, scores drop a bit. The second year they go back up to where they were. The third and fourth years may bring some marginal gains and by the fifth year the superintendent is gone and the cycle begins again.

What we don’t need is new reading texts, a new math teaching program, more or less arts education, better facilities for recreation, remodeling of schools, giving schools more control over their own money.

What we really need is to change the way everyone thinks about public education, especially teachers and principals. It’s time the adults took responsibility for both the successes and failures of our children. Time to turn the whole thing on its head and do something drastically different.

Dr. Jeff Howard is a social psychologist who runs something called the Efficacy Institute in Boston. I’ve worked with him before and his approach to education has shown remarkable results, not just for minority children but for all children.

"We don’t talk about self-esteem," he says. "We believe in self-confidence to drive effort. Self-confidence is a mindset based on an understanding of previous accomplishments and future potential."

"A child says, ‘I’ve done this so maybe I could do that.’ A teacher says, ‘Look what you did, now you can probably do that.’ That’s founded in real experience and is a driver toward committed effort to further accomplishment, It’s totally different than self-esteem."

The crux of what Howard talks about is this: "People aren’t born smart. They get smart."

I’m not saying that Howard has all of the answers. This is a complex problem that demands complex solutions. But we can’t keep tinkering around the edges here. We need a fundamental change in the way we think about black children.

Sure, poverty plays a big role in this whole thing. But it’s so much more than that.

White kids in Wisconsin are nine times more likely to graduate from high school than black kids. If that doesn’t tell you there’s a serious problem with the way we do things, I don’t know what will.

Those black kids aren’t born any dumber or smarter than the white kids. We adults are the ones who determine who is going to be successful and who isn’t.

It’s obvious that an entire race of children is being ignored. Somehow, someone needs to step up to the plate and drive a discussion of the problem and the solutions. The tired old answers don’t work.

What we need is something new.