In the latest numbers from the US Dept. of Education, Wisconsin has the worst reading scores in the United States for African American 4th and 8th-graders, the Capital Times reports.

This in a state generally recognized for the quality of its public schools. What's going on is the largest racial gap in the country. Wisconsin also has the largest racial gap in incarceration rates.

Lots of smart people have opinions toward solutions here, and I can't evaluate them, out of sheer ignorance. But this much I know: the sum total of people's non-racist actions can at times result in racial discrepancies.

This is important because addressing racial discrepancies is without fail politically charged, and usually involves name-calling. So people of good will stay away from the problem.