2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty
Poverty disrupts school achievement
In 1965 President Johnson signed the Elementary and Secondary Education Act which established Title I, the section of the program that set aside funding for children in poverty. Title I is still part of the Federal Government’s response to poverty in American education, because, as a nation, we accept the fact that poverty has an impact on school achievement.
The United States needs to reduce child poverty. At around 20%, child poverty in the United States, one of the Earth’s wealthiest nations, is too high. Compared to other OECD nations, The United States ranks in the bottom third, well below the OECD average. How do countries like Finland, Sweden, France, and the United Kingdom achieve lower child poverty rates than the U.S.? Do they care more about their children than we do? Do they have more money than we do?
Those higher child poverty rates yield lower scores on international tests, which are then used by privatizers and “reformers” to wail about the United States’ “failing schools.”
But our schools are not failing. Our nation, which allows such high rates of child poverty, is failing…failing to provide equal opportunities to all our children. Our future is threatened by such conditions.
In his 2004 book, Setting the Record Straight, the late Gerald Bracey wrote,
What do I say when people say, “Poverty is no excuse. High-poverty schools CONTINUE READING: 2020 Medley #5: The Education of American Children Living in Poverty | Live Long and Prosper