So, I've decided that it is time for me to "go all in". I have either taught public school or been involved in the preparation of public school teachers for 15 years now and think the time has come for me to dedicate some time and energy to voicing my opinions to those outside of my family.
On Friday, I participated in a local newspaper interview with a faculty member in my college about the links between poverty and education. Overall, we both felt really good about the outcome (but we'll have to wait until the article appears before making a final decision). How fitting then to log into my Twitter account and see this quote by Joel Klein (Former NYC Schools Chancellor) " They have it backwards. We're never going to fix poverty until we fix education".
My first thought was exactly....then I realized my mistake...
This is not and if-then equation!!! These issues are related, but "fixing" education will not fix poverty, poverty is much too complex an issue, there are both systemic and systematic factors that contribute to poverty. The United States has the highest rates for childhood poverty in the industrialized world (23% of children in 2007). It is a question of basic needs, if you live in poverty and can not have your basic needs met (food, shelter, safety) it is terribly difficult to learn.
I'm sure it's much easier to to be glib about the relationship between poverty and education when you leave a position that pays $250,000 (http://nymag.com/guides/salary/14497/index5.html) for one that pays $2 million (http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-01-04/news-corp-s-klein-gets-2-million-a-year-salary-1-million-signing-bonus.html).
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