I find this incredibly depressing.
Seventeen percent, or 13 million, of the nation’s children are living in poverty, a figure that has increased by 11 percent since 2000, says a report by the New York City-based National Center for Children in Poverty, a nonprofit organization that promotes economic security and well-being for families and children.
The percentage of children living in poverty ranges from 6 percent in New Hampshire to 29 percent in Mississippi, according to the study, which gathered data from academic journals and the U.S. Census Bureau between 2000 and 2006. The study also found that 11 percent of all children in the United States lack health insurance, a proportion that has increased by 1 percentage point since 2004.
Those 13 million kids (and growing) are one reason why the 100% passing rate demanded by No Child Left Behind will never be achieved, much less by 2014.
They have more important things on their minds than bubbling in the correct circles on standardized tests.
Tim,
That is a depressing finding, particularly the rate of increase since 2000.
You are so right that these students have much on their minds. And we send many of those kids to the worst school buildings lacking the tools many of us take for granted.
We need to start from the ground up in taking care of our children.
According to the same report, “Research consistently shows that, on average, families need an income of about twice the federal poverty level to make ends meet. Children living in families with incomes below this level—for 2006, $40,000 for a family of four—are referred to as low income. Thirty-nine percent of the nation’s children—more than 28 million in 2005—live in low-income families. ”
Which includes any families supported by teachers (even in the richest counties) in their first few years of teaching.
Here’s an area where first year salaries range from $29,7 to $44,2 :
http://www.ueatexas.com/2006-7UEASalaryComparisons/2006-7UEASalaryComparisonWestern.pdf
Most of these districts are not thought of as rich, and all but a small handful would probably be called the complete opposite. Carroll, though, is one of the richest areas in the nation…my guess is that they were able to bring salaries way up, and other districts were forced to do so in order to continue to hire quality teachers from the area. Some of the cities, like Keller and Mansfield, have had tremendous recent growth (Keller has built more than 10 schools since 2002).
(I guess this area is an anomaly, but just wanted to share since it seemed interesting.)
I’ve had my master teacher talk about some of her students.
It’s not unusual for her seniors to talk about dropping out, or simply not show up to their first classes. Why?
Dad’s not around, but when he is he’s a compulsive gambler. Mom was just laid-off. Even when most parents are diligent and hard-working at a minimum wage, these students aren’t much better.
They’re working the closing shift at the local McDonald’s. They sleep eight hours, split between the early morning after-school. They’re the provider for their family, now.
If they don’t work, they starve.
Next to that, why should they care about the essay on 19th-century imperialism due Friday?