LIVING IN POVERTY NEIGHBORHOOD AFFECTS ACADEMICS

Researchers have examined over a period of 12years before and after the great recession 2008 how family and neighborhood poverty affected children’s classroom behavior and academic skills when they begin school.

They used data from 1998 and 2010 from Early Childhood Longitudinal Study and analyzed groups of kindergarteners from across the United States.

They found that, after the Great Recession, more children whose parents were not already poor were residing in high-poverty neighborhoods. In 1998, the percentage of children living in high-poverty, moderate-high and moderate-low neighborhoods was thirty six. In 2010, this percentage increase to 43.9.

When classified in terms of race, the largest change in terms of residing in high-poverty neighborhoods was experienced by non-Hispanic white children. Although more white children were residing in higher poverty neighborhoods, overall minority children are significantly more likely to reside in higher poverty neighborhoods, post- recession.

The researchers found that on an average, the children living in poor neighborhoods were academically a year lagging, as per reading and writing assessment and standardized math tests of the students.

"This is a topic that should be of great concern for educators and policymakers alike" said one of the researchers.

 By: Angel

Content: www.sciencedaily.com