Education is the key?

“Education is the key to a brighter future.”  When you hear this saying, do you believe it to be true?   If education is truly THE key; what are we saying about those the education system leaves behind?  Are they undeserving of the key?  Is the key meant for only the privileged few?

 

Instead of a key, education has become the lock on the door that holds people in their socio-economic status.  People living in poverty have lower literacy and numeracy rates[1].  There is also a large gap in their knowledge and use of technology[2].   The lower literacy and numeracy rates are reflected in high school and college graduation statistics. 69% of children living in poverty graduate from high school.  Of this 69%, 40% enroll in college.  Although 40% enroll in college, only 12%, actually complete their degree program[3][4]. According to the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics college graduates earn nearly twice as much as high school graduates.   In addition, 90% of the fastest growing jobs require post-secondary education or training.  If young people in poverty do not successfully navigate the education system, then their potential for a brighter future dims.

The statistics for children living in poverty are dire.  The statistics for their peers who are homeless are worse.  To be unsheltered, is to live in a constant state of stress[5][6].  Instead of academics these children are faced with “Where will I sleep tonight?”  Instead of focusing on their lessons, they ponder, “Will school breakfast and lunch be all I eat today?”   As long as the condition of this vulnerable population remains unheard and unseen; their ability to attain “the key to a brighter future” becomes an elusive goal. 

What are we willing to do to assist these young people in attaining the key?  Over the next few weeks strategies will be explored that can assist children experiencing homelessness in their pursuit of the “key to a brighter future”. 

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[1] National Results: The Nation's Report Card. (2009). Retrieved September 27, 2010, from The Nation's Report Card: http://www.nationsreportcard.gov

[2] MacKinnon, S., & Wolff, L. (2002). What is The Digital Divide? TechKnowLogia, 7-9.

[3] (2010). U.S. Census Report. Washington D.C.

[4] Engle, J., & O’Brien, C. (2007). Demography is Not Destiny: Increasing the graduation rates of low-income college students at large public universities. Washington D.C.: Pell Institute

[5]American Psychological Association. (2011). Retrieved May 25, 2011, from Public Interest Directoratate: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/economy.aspx

[6] Effects of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness on Children and Youth. (2011, April 24). Retrieved from American Psychological Association: http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx#

Unheard and Unseen

My entire life I wanted to be the power behind the power - the anonymous influencer. Being in front was a place of fear.  I saw strength in working behind the scenes to impact the words said.  I had my ideas voiced even whilst my voice was unheard.  I also viewed it as powerful to have my concepts brought to visible reality while I remained in the background.  To be unseen guaranteed anonymity.  Being unheard and unseen as my agenda was carried out was my comfort zone. 

I lived this fiction-filled, power behind the power fantasy for 40 years until June 3, 2010.  The curtain of being unheard and unseen that I stood behind was torn away when I found myself jobless after eleven years of giving my voice and vision to others.  I felt exposed.  I developed a new appreciation and desire for having the plethora of my talents seen and the power of my voice heard.

As I searched for answers, I stumbled into a community that embodies unheard and unseen.  Their silence was not self-inflicted.  The cloak of invisibility cast upon them was imposed by others.  I discovered a portion of this community at Mustard Seed School, an emergency school serving children experiencing homelessness in the Sacramento region. 

How could I continue in my silence knowing there are approximately 1.5 million homeless children in the United States¹?  How could I consciously operate in the shadows when there are over 950,000 homeless school-age children¹? How could I be satisfied with being a so-called power behind the power when 41% of these children are behind grade level in math and 33% lag in English Language Arts skills²?

I have come to the realization that I can no longer operate in the role of silent influencer.  The community of homeless children is truly the unheard and unseen. They need a voice of someone that is willing to be the power on their behalf.  I am committed now to being that voice!

Humanity cannot continue to walk by children, our country's future, with ears muted to their cries, eyes clouded to their pain. The time is now!  It is time that we recognize the plight of the Unheard and Unseen.

¹America's Youngest Outcasts: State Report Card on Child Homelessness. (2009). Retrieved January 11, 2011, from The National Center on Family Homelessness: http://www.homelesschildrenamerica.org/findings.php

² Barton, P. E. (2004, November). Why Does the Gap Persist? Educational Leadership, 62(3), 8-13.