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…”
Poverty-related issues in the news, from the Institute for Research on Poverty