The Commit! Partnership helps drive student achievement throughout Dallas County from cradle to career by leveraging data, community expertise and collaboration, to measure what matters, identify best practices and spread what works.
I was glad to be asked to say a few words about what I consider to be our number one challenge in Dallas and our region.
________________________________
COMMIT! Update
February 24, 2015
·
Impressed by and grateful for this public show
of concern and commitment to see our children receive the best in education
across the region
·
My 5-minute assignment is a perfect length: you’ll likely leave here with “data overload”—so,
I’ll be easy on you
·
Here’s the deal:
1.
Poverty
is the biggest challenge/problem/obstacle facing us and the education of
our children
2.
Poverty
is pervasive: almost 9 of 10 DISD
students receive free and reduced meals at school; if we look at the county
public schools that number is 3 of 4 students
3.
Poverty
is growing: between 2000 and 2012
the population of the city of Dallas grew by a modest 5%; while for the same
period the number of us trapped in poverty grew by 41%!
4.
Poverty
is deepening: during that same time
frame the number of census tracts experiencing concentrated poverty almost
doubled.
5.
Our
poverty problem calls for new imagination as to how to use schools to
strengthen entire families/neighborhoods—relationally, intellectually,
financially, skillfully, spiritually & politically
New imagination as to how to
regard one another with respect, value, love and commitment.
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