The landscape of American education has changed. Since 2011, more minority children are being born in U.S. households. As a result of this growing trend, we must look at the disparities within the education system which are having implications for schools across the country. Once thriving communities are seeing population shifts with students coming from inner-city, urban areas as well as students from impoverished backgrounds.
Many of these students have received an education equivalent to that of a third world country, thus presentingacademic and financial challenges in the classroom (PDF). According to the Children Defense Fund, "thirty percent of poor children score very low on early reading skills, compared to only seven percent of children from moderate- or high-income families." These deficits begin early on due to lack of literacy development in the home, which results in a lack of readiness when a child begins school, which results in a child consistently lagging grade levels behind, resulting in young adults ill-prepared for the 21st century workforce.
"Our education system, legally desegregated more than a half century ago, is