Income inequality gap in D.C. one of nation’s widest, By Carol Morello, March 7, 2012, Washington Post: “The District has one of the highest levels of income inequality among the nation’s cities, with the top fifth earning on average 29 times the income of the bottom fifth. Only Atlanta and Boston showed higher levels of income inequality in 2010, according to an analysis of census data by the DC Fiscal Policy Institute. Driving the gap is the enormous gulf between a sliver of top earners and a mass of households with paltry incomes. According to the analysis, the top 5 percent of households in the District averaged $473,000 a year, far above the $292,000 averaged by their counterparts in other large cities…”
Tag: Washington DC
Homelessness Programs – Texas, Washington DC
- Texas funding cut leaves local agencies scrambling to continue services for homeless, By Alex Branch, March 3, 2012, Fort Worth Star-Telegram: “The impact of state budget cuts on homeless programs is evident on the calendar pages inside Larry Beasely’s personal planner. Last year, full hours were blocked off and highlighted for one-on-one assessments that Beasely, a case manager, conducted with people staying at the Salvation Army’s emergency shelter in Fort Worth. This year, each line is crammed with the names of people he assessed in hurried 15-minute meetings. The shelter reduced its case managers from four to one after the state eliminated funding for a $20 million state homeless housing and services program last year. Other programs affected by the cuts include an employment program, street outreach and rental assistance…”
- Montgomery County grapples with chronic homelessness, By Victor Zapana, March 5, 2012, Washington Post: “On the streets of Bethesda, the hard-core homeless live mostly in the shadows. Many of them steer clear of the main thoroughfares. Few venture into shelters. But amid a downturn that has cut social-services spending and forced officials to make the most of government funds, Montgomery County says it is focusing more of its homelessness efforts on the people with some of the most complicated needs. The chronically homeless are often on the streets for at least a year and face not only economic hardships but also problems such as mental illness and addiction that can make housing them a significant challenge. County officials began targeting such people last year, setting aside housing vouchers to get them a roof over their heads before grappling with underlying issues…”
Achievement Gaps – New Orleans, Washington DC
- New Orleans public school achievement gap is narrowing, By Andrew Vanacore, August 7, 2011, New Orleans Times-Picayune: “For as long as records have been kept, black students in New Orleans’ public schools have lagged far behind the city’s white students on the annual exams that Louisiana uses to track student achievement, reflecting wide income disparities and other factors. What’s more, black students in the city have traditionally fallen behind their black peers in the rest of the state, where the so-called achievement gap has historically been less pronounced. That second metric changed this year for the first time. State data show that 53 percent of African-American youngsters in New Orleans scored at grade level or better on state tests this spring, compared with 51 percent of black students across Louisiana. Just four years ago, only 32 percent of black students in New Orleans had achieved grade level, compared with 43 percent statewide…”
- Huge achievement gaps persist in D.C. schools, By Bill Turque, August 6, 2011, Washington Post: “The gulf in academic achievement separating public schools in the District’s poorest neighborhoods from those in its most affluent has narrowed slightly in some instances but remains vast, an analysis of 2011 test score data show. Children in Ward 7 and 8 schools trailed their Ward 3 peers in reading and math pass rates by huge margins – from 41 to 56 percentage points – on this year’s D.C. Comprehensive Assessment System exams. The tests are given annually to students in grades 3 through 8 and 10…”