Parents are a child’s first teacher and lifelong advocate, but what about those children whose parents aren’t very good at either role? Can anyone champion these children, especially in the classroom? If so, who should it be — other parents, teachers, policymakers, legislators? I discuss that challenge today. Readers share their views on how to improve the odds for kids who don’t have parents in their corner able to provide them with any advantages. In a guest column, an educator criticizes Fulton County schools' abstinence-based sex education curriculum.

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Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) departs her office in the Rayburn House Office Building on Nov. 17, 2025 in Washington, D.C. Over the weekend, Greene received an increase in personal threats.  President Donald Trump recently posted to Truth Social that he was withdrawing support for the congresswoman, and also called her a traitor. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

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Ceudy Gutierrez reads a book to her 2-year-old son, Matias, at their home in Buford, GA, on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. Ceudy Gutierrez is struggling to make ends meet for herself and her three young kids following her husband’s ICE arrest earlier this fall. (Miguel Martinez/ AJC)

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