Introduction
The relationship between student poverty and academic performance is well-established: On average, economically disadvantaged students have lower levels of achievement than their peers, a gap that has not narrowed in the past 50 years. What’s more, when poverty is concentrated in a school that is, when a significant portion of students in a school come from low-income households the impact on performance is compounded according to Nicole katz in state education funding article https://www.future-ed.org/state-education-funding-concentration-matters/ she also stated “Not surprisingly, schools and districts with high rates of poverty need more resources to educate their students;”.
I myself agree and conducted a survey in my community where all African Americans females ages 18-23 who all attend Secondary Schooling Norfolk State University were asked if they did/didn’t suffer from Education Inequality and could/couldn’t have benefited from extra resources in Communities (public school system ) as well as where did participants grow up , poverty or urban areas . There was a total of 2 Females an 20 out of the 75 responded to survey I did not explain what data was for but explained that all answers were confidential .
| I did/didnt suffer from unequal education funding and could/couldn't have benefit from extra resources | Did/could | 11 African American females |
| I did/didnt suffer from unequal education funding and could/couldn't have benefit from extra resources | didn't/couldn't | 9 African American females |
| Where did you Grow Up ? | Poverty | 11 African American females |
| Where did you Grow up ? | Urban Area | 9 African American females |
Data supports my theory that because of unequal funding in education , those in poverty areas could benefit from additional resources in the community. There are consequences of funding low income schools and students in this article supports and claims https://www.peaceinnovation.com/blog/how-the-public-school-funding-system-leads-to-educational-disparities?format=amp.
Children who live in a low income community will experience less access to courses that are high level such as science , math , reading and or writing , They also lack educational resources such as materials , less qualified staff , Funding , and social services etc . Back and Hispanic students are being deprived of the opportunity to pursue goals an career ambitions because students of color are extremely overrepresented in high-poverty schools . The lack of sufficient resources an offerings presents lost of opportunity for our impoverished youth according to https://thecommonwealthinstitute.org/research/unequal-opportunities-fewer-resources-worse-outcomes-for-students-in-schools-with-concentrated-poverty/.
Task
While researching an collecting data I have came to the realization that America could benefit from more Community schools globally for students who do live in the improvished areas with hopes of providing all the supports we can to students and their family . Below it is explained what exactly community schools are and how youth can benefit .
In order to met the need I have found , it is fist important to establish the needed relationship with public school system in which the community I serves due to the fact that A community school is a strategy and/or approach not a specific program that can be replicated because of the particular services o support it offers are designed to meet the needs of a targeted population of students In this case would be Poverty African Americans most likely enrolled in the public school system further explained in this article https://www.americanprogress.org/article/building-community-schools-systems/ based on the article I know if applied the community schools strategy can reimagine and retool the nation's public schools to give students in low income communities a high quality education . Going forward any funding that is needed to create or assist the development of community school's can be found in applying for grant programs as well as reaching out to The U.S. Department of Education which is the agency of the federal government that establishes policy for, administers and coordinates most federal assistance to education. It assists the president in executing his education policies for the nation and in implementing laws enacted by Congress that can be effective for the developmental process explained more in this article https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/federal-funds-cs-factsheet#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20CRRSAA%20and,and%2021st%20Century%20Community%20Learning how sustainable community schools can be created and funded .
However a facility will not be needed as long as there is a team of advocates willing to fight for the equality of education and extended resources for the less fortunate African American areas http://www.civilrightsdocs.info/pdf/education/toolkit/Education-Equity-Toolkit-ACCESSIBLE-overview.pdf . Advocating for Educational Equity and High Standards are open to society but all it will take to execute the plan is for it to come across the right table https://apps.urban.org/features/school-funding-do-poor-kids-get-fair-share/ and proper funding can be put into it .
- Establishing a relationship with public school system representatives
- Meeting with boards of education in selective states who may also expierence low funding and resources for school and paternship to set goals for schools to hopefully receive more resources .
- Met with city council members to advocate and help provide more educational resources for students an teachers in schools
Relationship establishment with the board of education and city council members would also help establish a budget on how to help support schools that can not provide the materials that each child and o teach will need in poverty areas to contribute to success.
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Process
Project Title : Incorporation of Creative Education : Cummunity Schools In the Public School System
Proposal Summary :
The proposed priorities are intended to encourage quality implementation of the four pillars of community schools: integrated student supports that address out-of-school barriers to learning through partnerships with social and health service agencies and providers; expanded and enriched learning time and opportunities; active family and community engagement; and collaborative leadership and practices. The proposed priorities address:
- Supporting states and districts in scaling up high-quality community schools within and across school districts;
- Encouraging evidence-based strategies for integrated student supports; and
- Supporting a national evaluation to continue to build the evidence base behind effective community schools.
Organization Description History :
Community Schools display how education should function in a healthy democracy , they’re public schools that provide services and support which fit each neighborhood’s needs, created and run by the people who know our children best – families, educators, community organizations, local governments, and the students themselves all working together.
Community schools provide not only tremendous opportunities for learning and success for students, but they also offer hope , opportunity and the transformations of communities . They are schools built with the understanding that students often come to the classroom with challenges that impact their ability to learn, explore, and develop to their greatest potential. Because learning never happens in isolation, community schools provide free healthy meals, health care, tutoring, mental health counseling, and other tailored services before, during, and after school. The days of attempting to compartmentalize problems that are inextricably linked has failed, and community schools provide an evidence-based pathway to lifting all students and the communities they live within.
Background :
Unequal educational outcomes are attributed to several variables, including family of origin, gender, and social class. Achievement, earnings, health status, and political participation also contribute to educational inequality within the United States and other countries.The lack of sufficient resources and offerings represents a lost opportunity for our children, communities, and the future economy of Virginia. This needs to be addressed by Virginia leaders by better targeting resources to high poverty schools and by promoting enrollment policies that encourage racially and economically diverse schools. At the same time, they should also be skeptical of using public funds for private schools, particularly if funding is not targeted to low income students or the benefit is inadequate for tuition as that can further segregate schools. However there has been various attemps to enhance school systems and offer equal resources for all mankind . Community Schools has become one of those resources that could potentially assist the United States with education inequality and Is the motivate of extended resources offered to all communities even the improvised .
Program Narrative :
Full-service community schools can help ensure that students’ opportunities are not limited by zip code, family income, race/ethnicity, disability status, or other factors by strengthening a school’s conditions for excellent teaching and learning. The community school approach leverages existing community assets, and generates new resources, to bring needed supports for students and families into public schools. Educators at community schools engage parents and families as full partners in their child’s education. Community schools often offer courses, activities, and services for parents and engage families and community members in school decision making.
More than 25 million students in America’s public schools live in under-resourced households, the highest proportion in generations. This means more and more students are coming to school hungry, many face unstable housing situations or move frequently, and many do not have access to regular pediatric well-visits. A child without internet at home cannot keep up with assignments in a virtual world. Mornings without a meal makes it impossible to concentrate during lessons.
Incorporating Community Schools in all Public school systems will ensure
- Expanded and enriched learning time. This includes after-school and summer programs, as well as enriching the curriculum through culturally relevant, real-world learning opportunities.
- Active family and community engagement. This includes both service provision and meaningful partnership with students, families, and community members in which families and communities support children’s learning through leadership and decisionmaking roles in the school.
- Collaborative leadership and practices. This includes the coordination of community school services, as well as site-based, cross-stakeholder leadership teams, teacher learning communities, and the ongoing sharing and use of early warning data to drive continuous improvement in support of students and their families.
- Integrated student supports. This includes supports such as mental and physical health care, nutrition support, and housing assistance, which are often provided through strategic community partnerships.
No matter our race, background, or zip code, we all want our neighborhood public schools to inspire imagination, cultivate curiosity and critical thinking, and ensure our children can live fulfilling lives. Every child deserves the opportunity to achieve their dreams, and every neighborhood deserves a public school that opens the doors to reach them.
Evaluation
African American Poverty area's deserve the right to equal education https://www.aclu.org/other/your-right-equality-education . According to learning policy instuite " Poverty and unequal educational opportunity have forever been an ugly tangle in America's fiber. We believe, however, there are now pragmatic strategies to reweave democracy. These strategies would address both educational needs and the effects of poverty through a personalized, whole child approach to schooling such as Community schools that can help us address education inequality decades later read more https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/blog/community-schools-powerful-strategy-disrupt-inequitable-systems
These laws provided below asist in the use of funds. LEA funds can be spent on any educational expense allowed under
- the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA),
- the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
- the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, and
ARPA requires that 20% of LEA funds and 5% of state funds be allocated to address learning recovery and that states must also set aside 1% of funds each for after-school programming and summer enrichment. States and LEAs have until September 30, 2023, and September 30, 2024, to obligate CRRSAA and ARPA funds, respectively, and at least 120 days after those deadlines to spend the funds. States and districts have the opportunity to use CRRSAA and ARPA funds not only to meet short-term needs but also to make longer-term investments to close opportunity and achievement gaps according to https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/federal-funds-cs-factsheet#:~:text=In%20addition%20to%20CRRSAA%20and,and%2021st%20Century%20Community%20Learning
This project will ensure better assist in schooling systems for the poverty area youth . Although a community school isn't a part of progamming it will assit schools who do not have educational resources and or social support for student and families . Based of of research I've found that there are districts completed of higher class students who go to school in urban communities and have all the materials an resources that they need to properly succeed which challenges . The Civil Rights Act of 1964 which is the landmark legislation prohibiting discrimination in several areas including housing, employment, and education.
Conclusion
In conculusion we understand that when dealing with Education Inequality and the need of extra resources in a poverty area
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High-poverty school districts receive less funding and are able to spend less money per student compared to low-poverty school districts
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Local sources provide 45% of the school funding while federal sources contribute only 8%
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Low property taxes (local source) in poor neighborhoods result in low funding for schools while high property taxes in wealthier neighborhoods result in higher funding for schools
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High-poverty schools have poor facilities and a lack of resources, teachers, and supplies
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Students at high-poverty schools have lower math and reading test scores with a difference ranging up to 40 points
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Law-suits in some states have succeeded in deeming this system of funding as unconstitutional
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Advocacy groups, school district staff, parents, and individuals in the community are all working to fight this disparity
Going forward Community school can be a tool to help evolve education Inequility despite where you live and you race Community schools can contribute to academic achievement and emotional and mental supports. Community schools will be able to display Creative education for poverty families that have not been offered to them in public school systems
As a social work profession most importantly what I can do to help is Advocate for extended resources and equal education rights for all communities no matter the classification or race amongs other things which ae explained in this article below https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ794821.pdf . Including
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learn more about the school district around your area and the quality of education that students receive
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Join organizations in your community and volunteer to help kids whether its tutoring or mentoring
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Donate supplies to local schools
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If you live in a low-income neighborhood and need support, reach out to advocacy groups
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join a program at your school aimed at helping low-income students .