At Monday’s board worksession, Senator Murkowski spent 45 minutes speaking about where things are headed with education at the federal level. I shared that we are concerned that federal money for children in poverty is losing some of its entitlement status and is instead being divvied up through competitive grants. I feel that this is a mistake and Senator Murkowski concurs.
One of the greatest predictors of student success at school is socioeconomic status (SES). That is, students with a higher SES tend to do better at school. It is incumbent on all of us then, to do all that we can to counter the negative effects of poverty that work to limit our students’ schooling experience. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was designed to begin to level the school playing field for impoverished youngsters. There is little question that entitlement money from ESEA has been a benefit for KPBSD’s less fortunate students. This year our Title I money is serving 635 students.
While I agree with others that federal spending needs to be reduced, I feel that it is a mistake to not provide extra resources for our children in poverty. After all, these children played no part in landing in this plight.
Children in Poverty
At Monday’s board worksession, Senator Murkowski spent 45 minutes speaking about where things are headed with education at the federal level. I shared that we are concerned that federal money for children in poverty is losing some of its entitlement status and is instead being divvied up through competitive grants. I feel that this is a mistake and Senator Murkowski concurs.
One of the greatest predictors of student success at school is socioeconomic status (SES). That is, students with a higher SES tend to do better at school. It is incumbent on all of us then, to do all that we can to counter the negative effects of poverty that work to limit our students’ schooling experience. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) was designed to begin to level the school playing field for impoverished youngsters. There is little question that entitlement money from ESEA has been a benefit for KPBSD’s less fortunate students. This year our Title I money is serving 635 students.
While I agree with others that federal spending needs to be reduced, I feel that it is a mistake to not provide extra resources for our children in poverty. After all, these children played no part in landing in this plight.