A radio news report this morning explained that authorities in Washington DC have warned residents that children and pregnant women should not drink any tap water because of dangerously high levels of lead. No one knows where the lead is coming from. Some speculate that chemicals used in the water are causing lead to leach out of older pipes. Lead causes brain damage in young children. Recent studies indicate that relatively low levels of lead - well within the margins previously considered safe - can impair mental development. The point of this story? Urban school districts face an amazing set of challenges, most of which have absolutely nothing to do with education. Poverty, health care, housing, crime, nutrition and many other things have an impact on academic performance, but many politicians conveniently ignore these realities, content to make teachers and administrators scapegoats for society's problems.