By Emma Gauthier, WHSV 3 – Harrisonburg, VA
[…]
Philip Tegeler, executive director of the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, said public education also is part of the solution.
“Ensuring that children are in a safe community with access to a high-quality school — these are important goals to help children escape from poverty,” Tegeler said. “The educational disadvantage that is associated with high-poverty neighborhoods is possible to overcome, but very difficult.”
Tegeler said concentrated poverty resulted from “a long history of intentional segregation.” He blamed “municipal fragmentation” and the way land use, schools and taxation were used to separate communities by income.
Nationwide, 13 million children live in poverty, with 8.5 million in concentrated poverty.
“It’s important to recognize that children are only young once, and there’s only a few pressing years we have to really help children realize their potential,” Tegeler said.
