- Analysis: More Utah children live in areas of poverty, By Brooke Adams, February 23, 2012, Salt Lake Tribune: “Utah is among states with relatively few children living in areas where poverty is prevalent. That’s the good news. The bad news, according to a newly released study, is that the number of Utah children residing in poor neighborhoods increased 80 percent since 2000, with some 27,000 children now living in communities with high concentrations of poverty. Utah’s increase was more than triple the 25 percent increase notched across the country, based on a comparison of 2000 Census numbers and 2006-2010 data from the Census’ American Community Survey. Nationally, nearly 8 million children are now living in areas of concentrated poverty. Some states saw dramatic increases – such as Colorado, where numbers rose 360 percent to 72,000 children – while eight states recorded decreases, according to a Kids Count data snapshot from the Annie E. Casey Foundation…”
- More ND children in high poverty, By Helmut Schmidt, February 24, 2012, Dickinson Press: “More North Dakota children are living in areas of high poverty, putting them at risk for not getting proper food, housing or health care, and making it more likely that they could have severe behavioral and emotional problems, the Kids Count program announced Thursday. North Dakota data for 2010 indicates 7 percent of the state’s children, about 11,000, live in economically distressed areas – neighborhoods where at least 30 percent of residents live below the federal poverty line. That’s up from 5 percent in 2000, the Kids Count program at North Dakota State University reports…”
- Growing number of Kentucky kids in poverty, By Robyn L. Minor, February 23, 2012, Bowling Green Daily News: “Kentucky is one of 11 states where 30 percent or more of the population living in high poverty areas. That means a high percentage of children are living in those areas, and that has to be addressed, according to Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates, which produces the Kids Count report. ‘Historically, almost one in four kids lived in poverty,’ Brooks said. ‘That went to one in four and now it is more than one in four. We’ve seen a 20 percent increase in children living in high poverty areas (during past decade). There are 20,000 more kids living in those high poverty areas than a decade ago.’ Kids Count, by looking at results of the American Community Survey published by the U.S. Census Bureau, estimated that between 2006 and 2010, 13 percent of the state’s children lived in areas where the poverty rate is 30 percent or higher…”
- Number of Minnesota children living in poverty increases, By Renee Richardson, February 23, 2012, Brainerd Dispatch: “Three area counties rank among the highest in the state for numbers of children in poverty, according to Kids Count – a report by a charitable foundation using the latest Census data. Aitkin, Wadena and Cass counties were among eight counties with the highest percentage of children in poverty ranging from 21.1 percent to 35 percent. The Kids Count Data Snapshot, using 2010 Census data, was recently released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The number of Minnesota children living in high-poverty neighborhoods almost doubled in the last decade from 35,000 to 68,000, rising from 3 percent to 5 percent – a 94 percent increase, the foundation reported…”
Day: February 24, 2012
Extreme Poverty in the US
More than 1.4 million families live on $2 a day per person, By Marisol Bello, February 23, 2012, USA Today: “The number of families living on $2 or less per person per day for at least a month in the USA has more than doubled in 15 years to 1.46 million. That’s up from 636,000 households in 1996, says a new study released by researchers at the University of Michigan and Harvard University. Government benefits blunt the impact of such extreme poverty, but not completely, says one of the researchers, Luke Shaefer, a professor of social work at Michigan…”
School Grading System – Indiana
Grading system likely to hurt high-poverty schools most, By Scott Elliott, February 24, 2012, Indianapolis Star: “Indianapolis Public School 46 is a success story, a lauded example of how a school whose students come from poverty can excel with help from a community partner. Just last week, Kroger announced that the grocery chain would again commit $100,000 in cash and volunteers this year to the school it adopted 27 years ago. John Elliott, public affairs manager in Indianapolis for Kroger, was more than proud to tout the school’s achievements. School 46 has earned an ‘A’ grade for its academic performance from the Indiana Department of Education the past four years. But after the event, Elliott was stunned to learn the school’s grade might soon go way down — to a C. School 46 is a likely casualty of the state’s new grading system, passed earlier this month by the State Board of Education. And when it comes to high-poverty schools, it’s far from the only one…”