The United States is the 12th wealthiest nation in the world with a GDP of 17.7 trillion. Despite this, the country lags behind other industrialized nations in combating poverty that affects its most vulnerable members - children. The country contains about 73.7 million children under the age of 18, with 17.5% of them living at or under the poverty rate. Children living at or below the poverty line are more likely to experience poor physical mental health, feel unsafe, have developmental delays, and experience food insecurity. (American Psychological Association) The barriers children growing up in poverty face affect almost all aspects of their lives, including education.
The ways that poverty affects children in terms of their schooling:
It's no secret that the United States ranks quite a bit lower than most industrialized nations in terms of its education quality. The U.S is ranked 17th out of the 22 countries part of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) that have data available on high school graduation rate. Adding to this is the fact that high-school dropouts ages 25-65 make 65% less than graduates - the greatest income difference out of all the OECD countries. Children coming from impoverished households are already at a disadvantage when it comes to graduating, and their ability to break the cycle of poverty is hindered even more by not having a high school degree.
Educational outcomes also vary by race, with groups with higher poverty rates tending to have lower graduation rates. This is due to historical oppression that has impaired educational and job opportunities for generations. Native American/Indian and Black children have the highest levels of child poverty and also the lowest graduation rates nationally, with Hispanic children close behind.
| State | American Indian/Alaska Native | Asian/Pacific Islander | Hispanic | Black | White |
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The video discusses the broad range in educational outcomes for children based on their zip codes.