Want to know where small town students living in poverty are? Check out the map below. Before its more expansive study in 2009, the Rural School and Community Trust sought to spotlight those districts and towns in 2007. In this case, the data included districts with towns of 2,500 or fewer that fell into the top 10% in terms of rate of students in poverty.
Districts like these are not only places that deserve more attention because of their current status, they are also places that usually lack the infrastructure to instigate major economic turnaround in a short span of time.
Districts like these are not only places that deserve more attention because of their current status, they are also places that usually lack the infrastructure to instigate major economic turnaround in a short span of time.
Nationally, this area includes some 969,000 students; and the overall poverty rate is 32%. (Detroit’s poverty rate in ‘07 was 32%.) 45% are white, 26% African American, 19% Hispanic, and 10% Native American.
If you establish strict boundaries for the South, though (so no Texas or Missouri), you’ll see that 54% of small town students living in poverty are in the South. Within the rural parts of the region, 31.8% of students qualify for Title I. (A student in a four person household qualified as Title I in 2007 if his/her household earned lower than $21,203.) Below is a table with more specific data. States are ordered according to absolute number of Title I students.
If you establish strict boundaries for the South, though (so no Texas or Missouri), you’ll see that 54% of small town students living in poverty are in the South. Within the rural parts of the region, 31.8% of students qualify for Title I. (A student in a four person household qualified as Title I in 2007 if his/her household earned lower than $21,203.) Below is a table with more specific data. States are ordered according to absolute number of Title I students.
Beyond the data, what’s striking to me is how infrequently students and districts in such dire straights receive real national or even regional attention. It's telling that I'm using a study from 2007 here to bring more attention to rural poverty. This is a major reason why I’ve begun to write more on this topic. It appears that there are simply too few well-organized advocates on a regional and national level who are prepared to use information like this and narratives like those gathered by the NAACP of NC together to drive the conversation. That has to change.
With all that in mind, enjoy your weekend!
Travis
With all that in mind, enjoy your weekend!
Travis
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