Daily Archives: 01/17/2015

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Happy MLK Day weekend

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Turquoise Table

(Community Matters) Had coffee with an old friend yesterday, Kristin Kessler Schell. It’s been years since we’ve connected, though we’ve followed each other on facebook. Loved hearing about her latest initiative – Torquoise Table. Kristin just one day ordered a table from Lowe’s, decided to paint it her favorite color (Sherwin-Williams Nifty Turquoise) and set it up in her front yard. It was an invitation for neighbors to stop by and visit. Now, there are hundreds of torquoise tables all around the country and several around the world – it’s about building community and getting to know one another. Steven . . .

 

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Most Public School Students Live in Poverty

(CommunityMatters) Mind Boggling and Shameful:

“Most [U.S.] public school students now living in poverty,” by Lyndsey Layton, national education reporter: “For the first time in at least 50 years, a majority of U.S. public school students come from low-income families, according to a new analysis of 2013 federal data, a statistic that has profound implications for the nation. The Southern Education Foundation [the nation’s oldest education philanthropy] reports that 51 percent of students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade … were eligible for the federal program that provides free and reduced-price lunches. …

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“‘When they first come in my door in the morning, the first thing I do is an inventory of immediate needs: Did you eat? Are you clean? A big part of my job is making them feel safe,’ said Sonya Romero-Smith, a veteran teacher at Lew Wallace Elementary School in Albuquerque. … She helps them clean up with bathroom wipes and toothbrushes, and … stocks a drawer with clean socks, underwear, pants and shoes. … The job of teacher has expanded to ‘counselor, therapist, doctor, parent, attorney,’ she said. …

“Schools, already under intense pressure to deliver better test results and meet more rigorous standards, face the doubly difficult task of trying to raise the achievement of poor children … The new report raises questions … about whether states and the federal government are devoting enough money – and using it effectively – to meet the complex needs of poor children.”http://wapo.st/1B1Lp91