Everyone wants to blame teachers for low test scores. After all, teachers are the easiest targets. I have to wonder how much money is being spent on all of the research studies about improving teacher quality. What about the time and effort spent on discussions about the No Child Left Behind Law? Are they serving free lunch during the meetings? How much are the legislators being paid to analyze public education?
Is it possible to use some of this money to help families struggling to get by day after day? All of us are aware that some children come to school in better shape to learn than others. A study described on CNN.com reports the not so surprising fact that "Kids in poverty have less parent time."
American children living in poverty or in single-parent homes have less interaction with their parents and are more likely to have trouble at school than youths in wealthier, two-parent homes, according to a recent report.
The U.S. Census Bureau report, "A child's Day: 2003," looked at factors that affect the well-being of American youngsters, only the third time the agency has studied issues affecting children.
Three-quarters of U.S. children 12 to 17 were doing well in school, performing at or above their grade level, nearly 6 percentage points higher than in 1994, the study found.
Among youngsters living in poverty, however, only 69 percent were academically on track, and only 14 percent were in classes for gifted children. They were also twice as likely to have been suspended from school compared to children living in higher-income families.
"Children living in families below the poverty level, children whose parents have lower levels of educational attainment and children in families with single parents tend to have less daily interaction with their parents, such as talking, being read to or sharing daily meals," the authors said.
There are many interesting facts in this article about American children. They all point to what we already know. Children shouldn't be left behind, especially in poverty.