Tag Archive: poverty


An Equal Shot at Success

Filed Under: Dropout Epidemic, Education Reform by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
February 22, 2013

Communities In Schools works to make sure students get what they need to succeed.

On Tuesday, the Department of Education’s Equity and Excellence Commission released a report detailing a five-pronged approach to helping students living in poverty and eliminating the achievement gap.

The report, “For Each and Every Child: A Strategy for Education Equity and Excellence,” is designed to guide states and the federal government towards creating an education system that gives all children an equal shot at success. Some of the report’s five recommendations include expanding high-quality early education, better compensating teachers and improving course curricula.

What struck us the most from the Equity and Excellence Commission’s report was the emphasis on mitigating poverty. “States, in partnership with the federal government, should adopt dropout-prevention programs and other alternative-education opportunities for at-risk students,” the report recommends.

Communities In Schools is on the front lines of the fight against poverty in classrooms. During the 2011-2012 school year, 92 percent of the case-managed students we served were identified as eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. We work to level the playing field and make sure that students get what they need to succeed, including food, clothing health and dental care, school supplies, and other services such as counseling and academic assistance.

Visit Education Week to read a summary of the report, or read the report in its entirety here.

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Life From The Stoop

Filed Under: Pop Culture by Briana Kerensky — 1 Comment
July 17, 2012

Communities In Schools of Miami Executive Director and "Life From The Stoop" author Elizabeth Mejia.

Today’s blog post comes from Elizabeth Mejia, executive director of Communities In Schools of Miami and author of Life From The Stoop, an affirming memoir of faith, perseverance and hope. To order your copy, visit www.createspace.com/3825238.

“The drama that Miguel brought into our house was endless nights of fights and police visits. One night, one of the police officers noticed me. He saw me trying to keep it together, being the family spokesperson, being responsible. He pulled me to the side, and he said ‘You know, life does not have to be this way.’” Wow – that was a powerful statement. Violence and chaos were all that I knew. It surrounded my whole life and the life of everyone around me. Long after he left, those words entered my soul and fed a fire in me.”

This excerpt from my memoir, Life From the Stoop, provides a strong argument as to why the work of Communities In Schools and other stay-in-school organizations is so important. The words from this police officer had a transformative impact on my life. They planted the seed in me to break the cycle of violence and poverty that had plagued my family. There’s a great likelihood that the officer left my house, frustrated or even disgusted, feeling like he was wasting his time on another domestic violence call. Even today, he has no idea what he accomplished by taking a few moments to personally connect with a frightened, confused 12-year-old girl. life from the stoop cover

That moment of connection, that personal touch illustrates one of Communities In Schools’ basic tenets: It is relationships, not programs, that change children. This is why Communities In Schools brings caring adults into students’ lives. You never know who will be the one to make a difference, to deliver a message of hope just at the perfect time that a student needs to hear it. We believe in bringing concerned and dedicated adults into the schools to surround our students with a community of support. These volunteers, staff and mentors may repeat the same words of encouragement a parent says at home, but there’s a chance the child might hear the message differently, and for the first time embrace it. Or maybe it’s the first time the child ever hears such affirmations.

We can never give up, get discouraged or minimize the value of our work. We must deliver our services with faith that they will make a difference, even if we do not get the opportunity to witness it. It may take years and we may never hear a thank you, but we continue, believing that our work – delivered with love, understanding and compassion – is helping young people transform their lives. We must build relationships based on the principle that every child needs and deserves a caring adult in his or her life.

The police officer referenced in my book is just one person – what I believe to be an angel in my life – out of many who helped me persevere, go on to college and escape the projects. We hear it constantly, and I cannot stress the truth behind the words, but education is truly the key that breaks the cycle of poverty. As my memoir recounts, education opened a whole new world not only for me but for the subsequent generations in my family. Once the first person graduated college, a whole new generation followed.

Communities In Schools is that key for many students, their families and future generations. We must remain steadfast in our efforts to ensure that every child graduates, and continue to be a supportive angel in their lives.

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Stopping the “Summer Slide”

Filed Under: Families, Research by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
July 10, 2012

Communities In Schools of the Tecumseh Area, Mich. is teaching kids a life skill this summer by leading a bike safety program.

While it can drive parents crazy to have their kids home all day, students love summer break. No getting up early to catch the bus, no homework and no sitting in a classroom all day. Summer break means freedom from academic responsibility and lots of fun.

Unfortunately, all that time away from the classroom tends to have a negative impact on students once school starts up again in the fall. Known to teachers as the “summer slide,” students tend to forget a lot of what they learned while they’re away from school for so long. Instead of learning new material when they return to school in the fall, many students end up needing to spend the first few weeks of the school year reviewing and having to catch up. Studies from The Johns Hopkins Center for Summer Learning reveal that the average student falls two months behind in their reading skills during the long break.

The summer slide is a major contributing factor to the achievement gap affecting students living in poverty. According to The Johns Hopkins Center, students who live below the poverty line have less access to summer educational opportunities, and are therefore more likely to forget even more information than their more affluent peers.

Fortunately, there are ways we can all keep students learning over the summer. Across the Communities In Schools network, many of our affiliates offer programs that are both educational and take advantage of the fun this sunny season can offer. Whether it’s summer camp, kayaking trips, tending a community garden, swimming lessons or visits to college campuses, we make sure that our students are learning valuable life skills that they will need to succeed in school and in life.

If you’re looking for a way to prevent the summer slide and make sure your child keeps learning, organizations like Scholastic and The Southern Poverty Law Center offer some great free and low-cost ideas. Take advantage of your student’s open schedule to go to the zoo, museums or on a nature hike. Even something as simple as cooking together offers a great opportunity for a child to learn science, analytical reading and math!

Summer is a great time for students to read books that interest them without the stress of grades, testing and deadlines. Anindita Basu Sempere, executive director of TheWritingFaculty.com, advises parents, guardians and mentors to encourage children to take advantage of not having homework and foster a love of reading. She recently shared some tips on preventing the summer slide with The Washington Post.

For even more great ideas, we built a Pinterest board full of games and activities that promote summer engagement (including some great ones for rainy days). Feel free to repin them and share with friends!

For children, summer is supposed to be fun and carefree. But that doesn’t mean that learning needs to stop. By putting the brakes on the summer slide, we can start to close the achievement gap and make sure that every student starts school in the fall ready and excited to learn new material.

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Growing Up Fast

Filed Under: Families by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
May 31, 2012

CDC logoAs teenagers grow into adults, they learn how to become independent and take care of themselves. But some teenagers are tasked with not only learning how to take care of themselves, but a baby as well.

According to a report published in April of this year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are nine times as many teen mothers in the United States than in other developed nations. Between 2009 and 2010, there were about 34 births per 1,000 young women between the ages of 15 and 19.

Getting good grades while taking care of an infant can be tough. And if the parent is holding down a job as well, it can feel downright impossible. According to the CDC’s report, only 50 percent of teenage mothers will receive their high school diploma by age 22. Studies by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy show that only two percent of young mothers obtain a college degree by age 30.

When a young parent is unable to graduate, chances are she and her children will fall into an abysmal cycle of poverty. Most jobs that pay a living wage require a high school diploma. Parents without a diploma find it difficult to provide for their children, and have to make big sacrifices to stay afloat financially. This could mean anything from not being able to afford recreational activities for their children to not having a safe place to call home.

Across our network, Communities In Schools affiliates give young parents everything they and their children need – not the least of which is hope. When 16-year-old Ashlin found herself without the financial resources to care for her baby, Communities In Schools of South Carolina Site Coordinator Kit Fox was able to get her diapers, food and even toys. He also made sure the young woman’s emotional needs were met by providing supportive guidance on topics such as goal setting, anger management and conflict resolution. Communities In Schools of Philadelphia provided Rasheedah Phillips with counseling when she had her daughter at age 14. They also gave Rasheedah the tools she needed to graduate, including a career training program geared towards teen parents. Today, Rasheedah is a successful lawyer.

Communities In Schools is also dedicated to preventing teen pregnancy. In Austin, Communities In Schools of Central Texas works with community partners to lead a group called “Girls’ Healthy Choices.” The group meets on a regular basis to help young women navigate growing up and making the right choices in life. Many other prevention programs exist throughout the Communities In Schools network.

One of the most effective ways to break the cycle of poverty is to keep young parents from dropping out of high school. It’s a difficult path to follow, but with the care and support Communities In Schools offers, teen parents can attain a high school diploma and even pursue post-secondary education. And they can create bright futures for their children.

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Reaching Out to Every Community

Filed Under: Education Reform by Briana Kerensky — Leave a comment
April 24, 2012
Arne Duncan

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

In conversations about education reform, many reporters and education leaders cite schools in well-known U.S. cities as examples of places that require academic improvement and assistance. But it’s not only the places we can easily point out on a map that need help making sure their students graduate. Rural America requires assistance as well.

Last Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attended the second-annual Summit on the Role of Education in Economic Development in Rural America in Arlington, Va. At the event, he spoke about his education agenda and outlined three major challenges for improving education in rural areas: poverty and its effect on learning, recruiting and retaining quality teachers, and the lack of Internet access.

“As the rural community goes, so goes our nation,” Duncan said.

Students living in remote areas face unique and difficult challenges when it comes to applying to colleges. While a student in an urban area can research potential colleges or financial aid online in their school’s library, many schools in rural locations still lack Internet access. Living far from large towns and cities often inhibits students from visiting schools to see if a particular campus is right for them. And rural schools have a hard time retaining teachers, who are often called upon for college letters of recommendation.

According to the latest U.S. Census figures, the highest poverty rates in America were in rural locations. Almost 18 percent of people subsiding in these areas live below the poverty line. So not only do students in rural America have to contend with transient teachers, a lack of Internet, and living far away from colleges and universities, they must also contend with trying to find a way to pay for a post-secondary education.

According to Duncan, rural areas lag behind the rest of the nation in post-secondary enrollment rates. Communities In Schools operates in these areas to help students through the college application process. Our site coordinators take students on campus tours, help them apply for scholarships and financial aid, and even help them study for the SATs and ACTs.

No one should be denied the right to an education simply because of where they live. Communities In Schools makes sure that all students have an equal opportunity to succeed.

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