Underlying Issues:Poverty and The Achievement GapFALL 2014: CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION POLICY, PROFESSOR LISA BELZBERG

ATHENA ROSA, SENIOR AT THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT HUNTER COLLEGE (COMHE PROGRAM)

Nelson Mandela 1918-2013

“Education is the most powerful

weapon we can use to change the world.”

Vision & Mission

1. Identify and explore the various barriers that affect learning & achievement

2. Define and understand Parent Involvement under NCLB (2001)

3. Define and discuss the current state of the Achievement Gap (International

& Domestic standing)

4. Discussion & activity: What can we do?

Theories of Poverty

1. Individual deficiencies ex. Self-fulfilling prophesy

2. Cultural Belief Systems that Support Subcultures of poverty ex. Latinas and “house chores”

3. Economic, Political, and Social Distortions or Discrimination ex. “The System”

4. Geographical Disparities ex. Population over Isolation

5. Cumulative & Cyclical Interdependencies ex. “The soft-bigotry of low expectations”

Source: Rural Poverty Research Center @ The University of MissouriTheories of Poverty and Anti-Poverty Programs in Community DevelopmentBy: Ted k. Bradshaw / RPRC Working Papers No. 06-05, February 2006

Obstacles to Learning & Achievement

• Income / Wealth (SES, employment, Public Assistance, Social Security..) – parental marital status*

• Place of residence (urban, suburban, permanent, temporary) – racially segregated, environmental pollution*

• Type of housing (house vs. tenement) – racially segregated, environmental pollution*

• Language (non-English speaker: student / parent) – communication*

• Illness / disease (parent, student, immediate family member)- ability, attendance*

• Racial Inequality (Black and Latino Urban Youth) – equitable access to resources*

• Support services (school, home: i.e. Parent Involvement, after-school, mentorship) – exist, effective

• Students ability and belief in self-actualization (do they think they have the chops?)- Positive Mental Health Outlook

• Resiliency (ability to cope / recover from change of unfortunate, stressful events) – Health outcomes

• Policy & Implementation (changes, time, money) – allocations and restrictions*

Income in the United States

• The current distribution of wealth is more

unequal than it was in 2010.

• 75% of the Nations Wealth is held by the top

10% of families and the bottom half own 1.1%.

• The average net worth of a White family is

$134K, compared Hispanic families $14K and

Black families $11K.

• In short, White 90%, Hispanic 2.3%, Black 2.6%.

Wealth Breakdown by Race

White Black Hispanic Other

Source: 2013 Survey of Consumer Finances www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/scf/scfindex.htm

Accessed on: 9/9/2014 5:52pm

Population, Residence, Language

New York City The Bronx

PopulationWhite

Black

Hispanic

other

19,651,127

70.9%17.5%

18.4%

9.3%

1,418,733

45.8%

43.3%

54.6%7.6%

Residence / HousingHomeownership

Multiple-unit dwellings54.5%50.5%

19%

89.3%

Language (Foreign Born) 29.8% 56.8%

Source: US Census Bureau, Bronx County Quick Factswww.quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/36/36005.html

Accessed on: 9/9/2014 4:24pm

Health Issues & Race

Angel R. and Worobey JL. Single motherhood and children’s health. Journal of Health and Social Behavior 1988, Vol.29 (March):38-52.

• Single moms report poorer health (depression).

• “double jeopardy” resulting in “role overload” and increases psychological distress.

• Children without fathers present to have poorer mental health and experience gross forms of psychopathology such as disturbed sex-role development or antisocial behavior.

Zalewski M. et, al. Poverty and single parenting and relations with preschoolers’ cortisol and effortful control. Inf. Child Dev. 2012, 21:537-554.

• Single parenthood and poverty status significantly related to a greater likelihood of children demonstrating the low am/pm pattern. This results in a blunted pattern or the diurnal HPA axis activity.

• Low levels of cortisol result in low effortful control

• Disrupted cortisol levels and reactivity have been related to behavior problems in children.

Policy

HOUSING:

• “Red Lining”: National Housing Act of 1934, created the FHA:

aggravated already bias lending practices, residential segregation, and urban decay.

EDUCATION:

• NCLB 2001 and Common Core: timely implementation process, some improvements but far from expected results.

• Zero-tolerance & the school to prison pipeline

Parent Involvement

• Under NCLB 2001 Public Law: PL 107-110

Establishes the agency of parent involvement through Parent’s Associations (PA) or Parent Teacher’s Associations (PTA).

• Senate Bill 1001 The Parent Empowerment Act became the Parent Trigger Law

Defined in application by state. However, empowers parents to employ legal defenses specific to failing schools.

ex. Parent Revolution 1st parent group to pull a “Trigger” Law move at McKinley Elementary School in California.

The Achievement Gap

International Standing

Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

PISA 2012 Results for the United States(Programme For International Student Assessment)

• 27th in Math (below average)

• 17th in Reading (average)

• 20th in Science (average)

• United States spends more than most countries per student

• 1 in 4 FAIL to achieve Level 2 of math proficiency (higher

than OECD average and unchanged since 2003

• Below-average segment of top performers

• Socio-economic background has a substantial influence on

performance.

Image source: Bing Image search under Creative Commons license.

Domestic Snapshot

• According to the NYSED, “more than 94% of students from low need districts graduate with a high school diploma as opposed to 65.9% of students from high need urban-suburban districts.”

• NYS overall graduation rates increased from 74% (2008 cohort)to 74.9% (2009 cohort).

• Large achievement gap still remains in graduates with Advanced Designation.

State High School Graduation Rates

(2009 Cohort)

Buffalo 46.8% - 53.4% (+6.6%)

New York City* 60.4% - 61.3% (+0.9%)

Syracuse 48.0% - 48.8% (+0.8%)

Yonkers* 66.0% - 66.4% (+0.4%)

Rochester 43.4% - 43.0% (-0.4%)

Source: Statewide High School Graduation Rate Shows Incremental Increase, Achievement Gap Persistswww.nysed.gov/print/611Accessed on: 9/9/14 4:39pm

Addressing the Achievement Gap

1. Waiver from NYS Education Department NCLB & NY Teacher/principal evaluation system.

2. “Matched Student” tracking approach.

3. $500 million of Race to the Top funds up for grabs.

4. $150 million in competitive grants.

5. Parent Involvement under NCLB, Public Law: PL 107-110

6. Improving equitable access to Regents with Advanced Designation Coursework

Sources: State Education Department Releases Grades 3-8 Assessment Results

www.nysed.gov/print/805

Accessed on: 9/9/14 4:37pm

Statewide High School Graduation Rate Shows Incremental Increase, Achievement Gap Persists

www.nysed.gov/print/611

Accessed on: 9/9/14 4:39pm

What can we do?

Discussion: Supporting educators, parents and school

communities in addressing the achievement gap.

Activity: Identify & briefly describe plan initiatives that address

some of the underlying issues of poverty