Table Of Content

Don’t Level the Playing Field Tip It Toward the Underdogs Our research describes how the contrasting environments is another type of additional accurate decoding, and fluent reading, all ecologies of affluence and poverty contrib- support. Training assistants to craft the way to the most advanced forms of ute to disparities in the development of opportunities for more intensive engage- reading to learn and constructing meaning information capital. To reverse the growing ments with resources (no more random from multiple texts. We need to help polarization between the so-called haves flipping and clicking) is crucial for these parents understand the crucial role they and have-nots, here are six policy recom- children’s further learning. Whether play in children’s early lives. Parents are not mendations, recognizing that they repre- through mentoring, additional adult just disciplinarians, backup teachers, or sent only a beginning to a much-needed involvement, more challenging and homework completers; when they have the process of serious thought, reflection, culturally relevant learning opportunities, necessary knowledge and skills, they are debate, and action. 1. Unlevel the Playing Field: Too many Equal community-based resources do not government programs, like Title i, as well as create equal opportunity. We need to provide foundation efforts are aimed at “leveling the playing field,” giving high-poverty more resources to students in poor students a leg up by equalizing educational resources with more affluent communities. neighborhoods. Today, the “comparability” provisions in federal and state funding programs, for example, are still the tools that officials use or higher-quality parent-child interactions, supportive coaches and guides as their to ensure equal educational opportunity the goal should be to compress more children learn to read. The informal, among lower- and higher-income students. experiences and practice into the time everyday literacy lessons they provide for But as we have seen, equal community- available. young children—by reading to them, telling based resources do not create equal them stories, and cheering on their efforts 2. Parent Involvement Training: Nearly opportunity. We need to provide more to learn—shape what children know and ubiquitous, the story hour in libraries has resources and additional supports to how they come to see the place of literacy introduced millions of youngsters to the students in poor neighborhoods. As a policy in their own lives. it is imperative that we joys of reading and listening to stories. But strategy, “resources” are most frequently engage all parents in these endeavors. the story hour could do more: there is an defined as extra funding. Surely, additional important role for librarians and teachers to 3. Computer Training and Assistance: funds targeted to more computer and play in training parents in the skills “Googling” has become common parlance internet resources in the Badlands would associated with successful reading. in our to many people. it is not familiar to all, help make up for the fact that most of the experience, parents in the Badlands wanted however, particularly those in low-income neighborhood students do not have to provide children with a good start; communities. The digital divide is still an high-speed internet access at home. however, they often didn’t know what they unfortunate byproduct of living in poor however, additional targeted human could do to help. areas where internet access is often limited resources are needed as well. Placing more helping parents understand which skills or unreliable. adult mentors in the preschool area in and capacities children will need to become if libraries are to provide equal access to libraries is just one type of additional successful readers builds social capital. Such resources for all our citizens, we must support that could have enormous implica- knowledge helps parents make judgments consider interventions and trainings that tions in the amount, type, and quality of about what kinds of language and literacy strategically provide information navigation early shared reading. Using technology experiences to look for in preschool and skills to adults and their young children to specialists to create and guide children child-care settings, what to look for in initial promote more educational uses of the through knowledge-centered internet reading instruction in kindergarten and the library resources. recent advances in early grades, what to ask principals and technology offer extraordinary support for The main article and this sidebar are others who make decisions regarding reading development and information excerpted from Giving Our Children a reading instruction, and whether their child gathering. however, as we saw throughout Fighting Chance: Poverty, is making adequate progress in reading or our observations, these resources will not be Literacy, and the Development of needs additional instruction. in short, used to full advantage without training and Information Capital by parent training ought to unlock the mystery support. These new technology tools are Susan B. Neuman and of what it takes to ensure children’s success not self-teaching; pre-readers and begin- Donna C. Celano. Based in school. ning readers need the careful scaffolding of on 21 studies conducted over 10 years in two Literacy begins in infancy, with a child’s an adult who may use the clever animations neighborhoods, it first exposure to language, and then and multimedia characteristics in ways that offers a new lens on progresses in rather predictable ways turn the work of reading into play. Even the the achievement through language learning, vocabulary and most comprehensive software cannot gap—and the need for knowledge accumulation, early exposure to substitute for the power of adult guidance both school and community solutions. books and to the sounds and symbols of and support for enhancing student language, experimental play with reading, learning. 2200 AAmmEErriiccAANN EEddUUccAATTOOrr || FFAALLLL 22001122 expertise in domains of interest and offer immersion in communities of practice, recognizing that enculturation lies at the heart of learning. When we give students opportunities to become involved in cognitively stimulating topics that spark their interests and imaginations, we begin to tap their extraordinary potential. 6. Economic Integration: Schools today reflect their neighborhoods. in geographically concentrated neighborhoods of poverty, children will attend schools in which over 90 percent of the students are poor. Similarly, in geographically concentrated neighborhoods of affluence, children will attend schools in which over 90 percent of students are affluent. Throughout our country this pattern persists: schools are economically segregated, further exacer- bating the problems of inequality. if we are truly committed to improving the education of poor children, we will have 4. Access to Information: it seemed like a neediest communities should be open to get them away from learning environ- yearly ritual: throughout our 10 years of longer, with a greater number of resources ments smothered in poverty. Schools in studies, city budget allocations for libraries and services. They serve as a lifeline of poor areas typically struggle for many would be on the cutting block. Particularly information to their local citizens. reasons, but among the most prominent are in the poorest neighborhoods, budgets their rotating faculty of inexperienced would be slashed, and libraries even 5. Engage Students’ Minds: Far too often, teachers, low-level curricula, and ineffectual threatened with closure. Supposedly saving people underestimate the capabilities of administrators. in contrast, schools in precious taxpayer dollars, hours of opera- students who live in poor neighborhoods, affluent areas, on average, are more stable, tion would be curtailed, weekends limited, equating poverty with low ability. in reality, with more highly trained teachers, more and librarians inevitably asked to do more these students are eager to learn and rigorous curricula, fewer discipline prob- with less. in essence, access to information develop greater expertise if given opportu- lems, and more support from volunteers. for poor families and their children was nities to do so. it is so rare, unfortunately, Studies have shown that economically seen as expendable. that such opportunities are offered to them. integrating schools can be a feasible it seems as if we have forgotten how in the Badlands, there are few preschool valuable libraries are to our society. We options; the head Start and Even Start strategy for changing this scenario.1 This is expect much of them—from helping us federal programs offer high quality but being done in some places with impressive perform our civic duties to understanding limited hours of care. more than likely, a results. An important study conducted in our fundamental rights in a democracy— child here will go to a local church-based montgomery county, maryland, showed but often we give little in return in terms of program or be raised by a relative, such as a that low-income students who were public support. Nevertheless, the library as grandmother. The unsettling work patterns enrolled in affluent elementary schools an institution has continued to serve its and varying shift schedules makes stability performed far better than similarly mission: to support the virtues of informa- in child care nearly impossible. One or two low-income students in higher-poverty tion and reading, to offer people opportu- decrepit playgrounds offer children a place schools in the county—even when the nities to read what they choose rather than to play. A few community organizations higher-poverty schools were given extra what is chosen for them. Unlike school, the proudly exist, but their focus is on keeping resources.2 After seven years, low-income public library has no predetermined the impinging ills that accompany pov- students in affluent neighborhood schools curriculum or pedagogical emphasis; rather, erty—joblessness, drug use, teen preg- cut the large initial gap with middle-class it is designed as neutral space available to nancy—in check, rather than providing an students by half in math and by one-third in all. historically, this institution has helped to enriching environment for children. reading. Students performed at almost half reduce inequity by making information Observing summer programs, we saw a standard deviation better than compa- readily accessible to the community at students treated to a pabulum of mind- rable low-income students in higher- large. Today, it is serving this role as nearly numbing activities that merely filled up the poverty schools. Further, achievement scores the sole safety net for those who lack access hours until the summer was over. for the middle-class students did not decline to print and other technologies. Students come to expect less and give or show evidence of any negative effects. Library closures, limited hours, and less in return. They perceive themselves as –S.B.N. and d.c.c. diminished services do great harm to all poor learners and seek avoidance strategies, Endnotes citizens, but especially those in poor including dropping out mentally or 1. Richard D. Kahlenberg, All Together Now: Creating neighborhoods. instead of closing them physically from school. These students need Middle-Class Schools through Public School Choice (Washington, down, we need to recognize their central adults who believe in their abilities and DC: Brookings Institution Press, 2001). role in revitalizing communities and support trust that they are capable learners. They 2. Richard D. Kahlenberg, ed., The Future of School Integration: Socioeconomic Diversity as an Education Reform Strategy (New them with greater funding. Libraries in our need programs that help to develop their York: Century Foundation, 2012). AAmmEErriiccAANN EEddUUccAATTOOrr || FFAALLLL 22001122 2211