Southern Public Schools Mired In Poverty

Education Report Stresses The Negative Economic Ramifications For The Region

(CBS/AP)  The South is headed for an economic crisis if states don't begin investing more to help poor children succeed in school, according to a new report released Tuesday.

A majority of students enrolled in public schools across 15 Southern states are now low income - a situation last seen in the 1950s and 60s - and states are not doing enough to make sure they graduate from high school and go on to college, a report from the Southern Education Foundation shows.

The report is the first time the 140-year-old Atlanta-based nonprofit has taken a region-wide look at issues affecting the future prosperity of the South.

"We are essentially setting up the South for failure," said Steve Suitts, the report's author and program coordinator for the foundation. "If we don't find a way to educate more students, we're not going to have a prosperous future in this region no matter how much the sun may shine."

Today blue collar jobs that once didn't even require a high school diploma now call for some postsecondary training, and companies that want to relocate look for areas with good schools and an educated work force, he said. People who have a high school diploma or less can still get jobs - but they tend be low wage jobs that won't help raise them out of poverty, Suitts said.

That means the South is headed toward a weak economy with an undereducated population, high unemployment rates and high poverty, Suitts said.

CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann spoke to the president of the foundation, Lynn Huntley, who reiterated the point. "The jobs of the future require people that have high skills," Huntley said, "so that the economic future of the south is at stake, as well as that of the nation."

Low income students are children whose family income qualifies them for free and reduced meals at school.

Poor students tend not to be as ready for kindergarten, are more likely to repeat a grade and are less likely to graduate from high school than their wealthier classmates. They perform worse than higher income students on state and national exams measuring educational progress.

But schools across the South spend less per pupil than other areas of the country, which means the students who need the extra tutoring and guidance aren't getting it, according to the report.

States like Connecticut - with just 29 percent low income enrollment - spend up to $11,600 on each student, according to the report. But Mississippi, where low-income enrollment is 75 percent, spends just $5,600 per student, the report states.

Southern states tax for education at the same rates other regions of the country do, but the South's higher poverty rates translate into less taxable income and less revenue to invest in education, Suitts said.

The Southern trend of enrolling more poor students than the rest of the nation is not new. But in recent years, the flood of Hispanic immigrants moving into the South coupled with high birth rates among poor minorities have sent low-income enrollment numbers through the roof, Suitts said.

In 2006, 54 percent of students enrolled in public schools in the South were low income, up from 37 percent just 16 years ago. The percentage broke 50 percent in 2004. The last time the majority of students were poor in Southern schools was in the late 1950s and early 1960s, Suitts said.

Nationally, 46 percent of students are low income. The Northeast and Midwest enrolled just 36 percent poor children, and the West had 47 percent low-income students, the study shows.

The South also had the highest overall public school enrollment with 18 million students, compared to 11 million in the West and Midwest and 8.5 million in the Northeast.

Louisiana had the highest rate of poor students with 84 percent. Mississippi wasn't far behind with 75 percent.

New Hampshire had the lowest rate in the country with just 20 percent. North Dakota was second with just 26 percent.

[keithle1]

Just because you''re a woman with a working uterus doesn''t mean you should have kids. Can you handle it psychologically & economically? It''s not like buying a goldfish at the pet store.

[toolmangler-2009]

That part of the country was always sht.

Posted by Badmofojim at 07:30 PM : Oct 30, 2007


I lived in Philly, New York, Baltimore, Louisiana, Virginia and North carolina. I have been in 47 of the lower 48 but where ever you are from is where I don''t want to go because they raise foul-mouthed jerks.

[fredcs25]

I love the way this report makes a broad generalization of southern states.Which schools in particular are you talking about.Which states and what area of each state are you talking about.

[keithle1]

"..high birth rates among poor minorities.."

STOP BREEDING, POOR PEOPLE! PLEASE! TWO WORDS: BIRTH CONTROL. YOUR COMMON LAW WIFE DOESN''T HAVE TO GET PREGNANT EVERY TIME YOU HAVE ***.

[badmofojim]

That part of the country was always sht.

http://www.nea.org/edstats/RankFull06b.htm

Neat link.

[facts6]

Oddly, families with books, music, and conversation in their homes seem to produce better educated children. Library cards are free and those cards provide access to books and music and those lead to conversation. The "new report" is asking the public school system to rear the nation''s children, so that their families can be free to do ... what? Keep your hands off mine, we are doing well on our own.

[afmca]

So if you connect the dots we are looking to be led by politicians from a region of the country that is so economically depressed that it educational systems s*u*c*k*s. This is a part of the country that after Katrina lamented the loss of dead end casino jobs on floating barges and houses built on slabs. In most other parts of the country this is a start of a life not the end all. Maybe if they rethunk their blind allegiance to the Repubs and their Evangelicals Prophets for Profit they would wake up and realized they are being hosed. That is a large price to pay for the right to continue to be intolerant, hypocritical, self-righteous pseudo-christians.

[badmofojim]

This is why schooling should be Centeralized insead of letting the moronic govenors full control.

Liberals are Morons! Conservitives are Morons! Bushes Fault! The Democratic retards fault! Blame the Parents! Blame the Kids! Blame the Mayors! Blame the Govenors!

Now that we played the Blame Game, lets get down to the topic at hand~!