Disrupting Rural Poverty

…what State & Federal Legislators can do to help.

Presented at the DCMO BOCES Legislative Breakfast December 3, 2016

Robert Mackey, Superintendent, Unadilla Valley CSD

Outcomes– Better understand

changing demographics in rural public education

– Ignite a moral imperative to address rural poverty, student learning, & school funding

The slides are posted at: http://www.slideshare.net/RobertMackey/disrupting-rural-poverty-what-state-federal-legislators-can-do-to-help

STUDENT POVERTYIN 2013

• In 21 states more than 50% of public school students were eligible for free & reduced lunch.

• In 19 other states between 40 and 49% of students were eligible for free & reduced lunch.

• For the first time since the federal government began tracking this data, the majority of our nations students lived in poverty. 1989 2000 2006 2013

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

32%

38%42%

51%

Students Eligible for Free & Reduced Lunch in Public

Schools

Year

% Lo

w In

com

e St

uden

ts

SEF January 2015

UV

DCMO AVERAGE

City 1

City 2

City 3

0.00 10.00 20.00 30.00 40.00 50.00 60.00 70.00 80.00 90.00

56.00

45.38

73.00

75.00

60.00

64.85

53.10

80.60

77.14

76.18

Poverty in Central NY Area

June 2015 % Economically Disadvantaged 2007-2008 % Economically Disadvantaged

%

FRPL

How do we define Poverty?• Poverty is a state of deprivation, lacking the usual

or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. (Merriam-Webster)

• The most common measure of poverty in the U.S. is the "poverty threshold" set by the U.S. government. This measure recognizes poverty as a lack of those goods and services commonly taken for granted by members of mainstream society. The official threshold is adjusted for inflation using the consumer price index. (U.S. Census Bureau)

Jensen’s definition of Poverty

Poverty is a chronic experience resulting from an aggregate of

adverse social and economic risk factors. (Poor Students, Rich

Learning 2016)

Downward Social Mobility• Middle Class: odds are

25% that you’ll be poor in the next 10 years

• We are all one tragedy away from living in poverty

(Jensen 2016)

Risk Factors Associated with Poverty and Learning

• Unemployment• Under Employment• Teen Parent• Unmarried Parent• Frequent Change of Residence• Low Parental Education• Lack of Health Care• Poor nutrition • Non-English Speaking Household

How These Risk Factors Effect KidsVocabulary exposure by age 4:

• high SES=46 million words• Mid SES=26 million words• Low SES=13 million words

Low family income can negatively impact children’s cognitive development and therefore their ability to learn. Contributing to:

• Behavioral problems• Social problems• Emotional problems

Later in life these impacts can have powerful ripple effects:

• Drop out• Poor health – physical and mental• Poor employment outcomes

Being poor predict(s) an excess of many health-related indicators

Children are disproportionately

affected by poverty – foreshadowing entrenched

health disparities that span generations

Ramey, 2015

National Center for Children in Poverty

Two Kindergarten Classrooms20 students – 20% live in

poverty• 4 – 6 students affected by

significant traumatic experience(s)

• These 4 – 6 students have been exposed to 13,000,000 words by age 4

• These 4 – 6 students typically lag in speech, fine & gross motor, & social skill development.

• 14 – 16 students exposed to 36,000,000 words by age 4

20 students – 65% live in poverty

• 13 – 15 affected by significant traumatic experience(s)

• These 13 – 15 students have been exposed to 13,000,000 words by age 4

• These 13 – 15 students typically lag in speech, fine & gross motor, & social skill development.

• 5 – 8 students exposed to 36,000,000 words by age 4

Which teacher will need more support to guarantee at least

grade level proficiency for 100% of their students this year?

How can you give a helping hand to children in Rural

NY living in poverty?

ALL kids college &

career ready

DISRUPTIONDISRUPTION

A Commitment to Improving

K-12 Educational Achievement

Begins in the First 5 Years of Life

Ramey & Ramey, 2000

0 – 3 YEARS

• Fund Family Focused Learning Programs combined with accessible, free, health care; at least in all high-needs school districts

SCHOOL BASED HEALTH

• Fully fund current & expand SBHC; at least in all high-needs school districts

4 – 5 YEARS

• Fully Fund Universal Pre Kindergarten Programs combined with accessible, free, health care; at least in all high-needs school districts

State Aid to SchoolsFoundation Aid• ALL new money to schools

distributed on need

Flexibility • Allow categorical aids like

transportation, BOCES, library, and textbook aid to be used in their entirety for either the categorical purpose or general education support.

• Allow districts to use retirement reserve for both the employees retirement system and the teachers retirement system to offset employer contribution

• Allow EBAL reserve to be used for post retirement benefit costs

2007-08 2015-16 Projected 2023-240

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

77.5

56.8

42.843.4

36.932.334.1

19.9

10.5

K-12 Ave Class Size Students in poverty Students not in poverty

0.56

0.65

0.75

% Free & Reduced Lunch Enrollment

UVCS Average Class Size plus Free & Reduced Lunch %

State Aid to SchoolsFoundation Aid

• ALL new money to schools distributed on need

Flexibility • Allow categorical aids like

transportation, BOCES, library, and textbook aid to be used in their entirety for either the categorical purpose or general education support.

• Allow districts to use retirement reserve for both the employees retirement system and the teachers retirement system to offset employer contribution

• Allow EBAL reserve to be used for post retirement benefit costs

You will find allies in your peers who

represent urban and suburban impoverished

school districts

References• Dr. Craig Ramey – http://research.vtc.vt.edu/people/craig-ramey/ and Abecedarian Project as of October 2015.• Communication Across Barriers – http://www.combarriers.com/ & https://

www2.ed.gov/programs/slcp/2012thematicmtg/studentpovty.pdf • National Center for Children in Poverty – • Jensen, Eric (2016). Poor Students, Rich Teaching: Mindsets for Change. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.• Jensen, Eric (May 2013). How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement. Educational Leadership, volume 70,

pages24-30.• National Center for Education Statistics – https://nces.ed.gov/ • U.S. Census Bureau – http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/methods/schools/data/20102014.html • The New York Center for Rural Schools – http://www.nyruralschools.org/w/data-tools/#.V36HC7fmrcs • Social Security Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Annual Statistical Supplement, 2014 – https://

www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2014/3e.html• The Brookings Institution, Losing Ground: Income and Poverty in Upstate New York, 1980-2000 –

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2004/9/demographics-pendall/20040914_pendall.pdf • U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Poverty Guidelines – https://

aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guidelines• Center for Public Education – http://

www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-Interested-In-landing-page-level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-education-The-changing-demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html

• Southern Education Foundation (2015). A New Majority: Low Income Students Now a Majority In the Nation’s Public Schools. http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/4ac62e27-5260-47a5-9d02-14896ec3a531/A-New-Majority-2015-Update-Low-Income-Students-Now.aspx

• Gorski, Paul C (May, 2016). Re-examining Beliefs About Students in Poverty. School Administrator, pages 17-20.• Tine, Michele T. (March 2106). Different Worlds: Rural and Urban Poverty. School Administrator, pages 38-40.

Contact and Copy of PresentationUnadilla Valley Central School District4238 State Rte 8New Berlin, NY 13411P:(607)847-7500 F:(607)847-6924Web Page: www.uvstorm.orgFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Unadilla-Valley-Central-School-District/340853612739318?ref=bookmarksEmail: rmackey@uvstorm.org

• Presentation link: http://www.slideshare.net/RobertMackey/disrupting-rural-poverty-what-state-federal-legislators-can-do-to-help