In an earlier post, Hell-o, Old Fart, I commented on his article, American Winter clearly defines what poverty looks like, and reflected on my experience in Detroit.
This morning, I read an article in The Tennessean*. I was struck by the statistics --
"Of the 935,317 public school students in the state in 2012, nearly 60 percent were considered economically disadvantaged."
-- and the comment that followed: " Studies show that children who come from poverty tend to be less prepared for the rigors of school."
Flashback to the Rotary Club luncheon in my earlier post and the (paraphrased) comments of Dr. Eddie Green, then interim Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools:
“On any given day in the City of Detroit, no education takes place. A child coming to school, his last meal, lunch the day before, is thinking about lunch, not math or reading. Many of our children arrive at school on Monday morning, their last meal was lunch the previous Friday. They are not prepared to learn.
“ On any given day in the City of Detroit, no education takes place. Children come to school in winter without coats. Their bodies shiver a good portion of the morning until the warmth settles in. Before the last bell rings, those same bodies again shiver, in anticipation of the trip home.
“On any given day in the City of Detroit, no education takes place. When squad cars fill the street corners adjacent to their school while a drug bust takes place, the school is in lockdown. No learning takes place.”
In Detroit at that time, 1996, the Detroit Public School system had almost 160,000 students, with 40% drop out rates before ninth grade.
In 2013, the numbers in The Tennessean tell me that, Today, in Tennessee, over 550,000 students are at risk due to poor performance that can be directly attributed to poverty, a condition in which hunger is but one of many symptoms.
Ms. Giordano’s article raises many questions. Among them,
- What are the future prospects for a state when it puts so little value on the well-being of its children? Can we put a number on that?
- What are the future prospects for a state where legislators proudly announce they support cutting funding of vital services like SNAP programs (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), literally guaranteeing their state's children will go hungry? Can we put a number on that?
- What are the future prospects for a state when, knowing how poverty impacts performance, its political leadership attacks teachers , citing them as the cause, and takes actions to drive them from their schools and to discourage future teachers from considering Tennessee as the place to teach?
I won't ask you for a specific number. Suffice it to say, the amount would be staggering. I will, however, point to some statistics that reflect the outcomes of such myopic policies over time:
The United States is:
16th out of 23 countries in literacy proficiency
21st in numeracy proficiency
14th in problem solving in technology-rich environments **
NUMBER ONE in Prison Population and Incarceration Rates ***
Adolescent Birth Rate****
Until voters (YOU) realize that their (YOUR) current legislators are part of the problem, the attacks on the poor, on women, infants and children, on teachers and on the elderly will continue. It is time for voters (YOU) to learn -- and to act in their (YOUR) own best interests, for their (YOUR) better futures and for a better future for their (YOUR) state.
*Tennessee schools see hunger in eyes of many students
Every district has pockets of poverty http://www.tennessean.com/article20131104/WILLIAMSON/311040024 Maria Giordano mgiordano@tennessean.com
All the above stats are attributable to poverty. All of them are outcomes of benign neglect. All of them are also correlate with the despicable actions of politicians.
