SOCIAL ISSUES IN TODAY’S SCHOOLS

SOCIAL ISSUES IN RECENT HISTORY: The Pursuit of Happyness Trailer Breakfast club trailer Pay It Forward Trailer Juno Trailer

What social issues are represented in these films?

DATA Table 1.6a. Percentage of individuals living in poverty, by age group and race/ethnicity: 2003

Race/ethnicity Total Under 5 years5–11 years 12–17 years 18–64 years 65–74 years 75 years and older

Total 12.7 20.5 17.9 15.2 11.3 8.6 11.2

White 10.1 15.7 13.5 11.3 9.3 6.8 9.6

Black 24.7 39.4 34.6 29.5 20.2 20.1 25.9

Hispanic 21.9 31.3 28.7 25.0 18.4 18.8 23.1

Asian/Pacific Islander 11.7 11.0 13.0 15.2 11.1 12.2 13.4

American Indian/Alaska Native 24.5 43.0 28.1 27.6 21.5 21.0 24.2

NOTE: To define poverty, the U.S. Census Bureau utilizes a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition. A family, along with each individual in it, is considered poor if the family’s total income is less than that family’s threshold. The poverty thresholds do not vary geographically and are updated annually for inflation using the Consumer Price Index. The official poverty definition counts money income before taxes and does not include capital gains and noncash benefits (such as public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps). Race groups include persons of Hispanic origin.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, unpublished data, 2003.

POVERTY TODAY Recent poverty locally Child Poverty: America's Forgotten Chil

dren

PERPETUAL CYCLE:

Poverty

Parents w/low

education level

Children who

struggle in school

Children drop out of school

Dropouts have lower

paying jobs and

have children

National Center for Education Statistics

Table 2.4. Percentage of 16- to 24-year-olds who were high school status Table 2.4. dropouts, by poverty level and locale: 2004

Locale Total Below the poverty threshold100–185 percent of the poverty

thresholdAbove 185 percent of the

poverty threshold

Total 11.1 18.4 16.3 7.2

City 12.8 17.6 17.1 8.8

Suburban 9.0 18.4 14.9 6.0

Town 12.1 16.5 15.5 8.4

Rural 11.1 23.2 17.1 6.9

NOTE: The data presented here represent the status dropout rate, which is the percentage of civilian, noninstitutionalized 16- to 24-year-olds who are not in high school and who have not earned a high school credential (either a diploma or equivalency credential such as a GED). The status dropout rate includes all dropouts regardless of when they last attended school, as well as individuals who may have never attended school in the United States, such as immigrants who did not complete a high school diploma in their home country. For a comparison of poverty definitions and measures of educational attainment, see appendix B.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Commerce, Census Bureau, American Community Survey, 2004, previously unpublished data.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION… What social factors today are

influencing schools and education? What regions in the U.S. suffer most

from poverty? What are some reasons for higher

poverty rates in the south? How do we effectively educate students in spite of these issues?

IS HIGH ACHIEVEMENT ATTAINABLE? Successful schools in Louisiana Coalition of Essential Schools Other examples: Dugan & SYCS

IN CLOSING…

REFERENCES Coldarci, T. (2006). Do smaller schools really reduce the “power rating” of poverty? The

Rural Educator, 28 (1), 1-8. Diaz, V. (2008). Relationships between district size, socioeconomics, expenditures, and

student achievement in Washington. The Rural Educator 29 (3) 30-39. Dugan Alternative High School Website. Information retrieved June 26, 2010 from

http://www.dugan.cps.k12.il.us/ Hopkins, T.M. (2005). If you are poor, is it better to be rural? The Rural Educator, 27 (1),

21-28. Meeker, S. D., Edmonson, S., & Fisher, A. (2009). The voices of high school dropouts:

implications for research and practice. The International Journal on School Disaffection,6 (1), 40-52.

Michie, G. (2007). A real alternative: tragedy and hope in an urban immigrant community. The International Journal on School Disaffection, 4 (2), 6-13.

National Center for Education Statistics. Various tables and graphs retrieved June 2010 from www.nces.ed.gov

O’Donnell, J., Kirkner, S. L., Meyer-Adams, N. (2008). Low-income, urban consumers’perceptions of community school outreach practices, desired services, and outcomes. The School Community Journal, 18 (2), 147-164.

Parkay, F. W. (2006). Social foundations for becoming a teacher. Boston, MA: Pearson.