Panel Will Discuss Impact, Outcomes and Policy Recommendations
(Philadelphia, PA) October 17, 2012 – Concentrated poverty, a reemerging phenomenon since the 1990s, and its implications for education in Pennsylvania is the subject of PCCY’s latest forum, The Effects of Concentrated Poverty on Schools.
With nearly half of Americans struggling economically pockets of concentrated poverty – neighborhoods with more than 30 percent poverty – have been growing. The percentage of Pennsylvania children living in concentrated poverty has increased over the last decade from 8 to 17 percent. The social impact on children’s educational opportunities and the effect on the commonwealth’s schools will be explored at the forum, to be held Friday, October 19th, 1:00pm – 3:00pm at the United Way Building, 1709 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Panelists include:
- Dr. Doug S. Massey is the Henry G. Bryant Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs at Princeton University. His research focuses on urban poverty, race and housing, discrimination, education, stratification. Dr. Massey is the current president of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.
- Otis Hackney is a Philadelphia School District graduate and current principal of South Philadelphia High School. Mr. Hackney will speak about his experiences leading low-poverty Springfield Township High School in addition to his experiences at South Philadelphia, a diverse high-poverty urban school.
- Mary Del Savio is the Director of Teach for America Urban Teacher Certification and Master’s degree program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education. After earning her BA in Psychology and Anthropology from the Brandeis University in 2003, she joined TFA as a middle school teacher in Houston,
Texas. Ms. Del Savio is currently working on her PhD at the University of Pennsylvania. Her interests include teacher education, special education, and ethics in the classroom.
“All children can learn but when schools have higher levels of poverty you have greater numbers of children entering the classroom with challenges – paying attention, behind grade level, attendance,” explains Taimarie Adams, PCCY’s Co-Director of Education. “Understanding these challenges is the first step to addressing them and making sure that schools get those resources that they need.”
Concentrated poverty’s impact on the education of Pennsylvania’s children and policies for improving outcomes is the subject of a PCCY policy brief ‘Trickle Up: Growing Poverty and its Impact on Educational Outcomes Challenges and Opportunities in the 2011-12 Budget Season.’
Founded in 1980, Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY, www.childrenfirstpa.org) is dedicated to improving the lives and life chances of children in the Delaware Valley. Through thoughtful and informed advocacy, community education, targeted service projects and budget and policy analysis, PCCY seeks to safeguard and speak out for the region’s children. PCCY is an independent, non-profit organization.