Our Schools/Our Selves: Fall 2014

Poverty, Polarization, and the Educational Achievement Gap

How we care for and educate younger generations — from the early years right up to postsecondary— is consistently the topic of heated debate. One thing is clear, though: societies are changing, driven to a large extent by an economy that has proven itself to be anything but bulletproof.

But social progress is not only as a result of economic shifts. Societies that invest in people and the programs that provide a basis from which we can overcome inequality — while making our communities safer, more caring, better educated and more cohesive — are not only more productive; they are, quite simply, happier and healthier places in which to live.

This issue of Our Schools/Our Selves explores the relationship between poverty, societal polarization and educational achievement, and asks: how do we ensure kids (and, more broadly, their families) get the resources and support they need, from infancy to young adulthood, to pursue their educational and life goals in their classrooms and their communities?