Studies shed light on childhood poverty

On Board Online • October 14, 2024

Lester W. Young, Jr.
Chancellor, Board of Regents

Child poverty in New York State is not just a challenge; it's an urgent issue that demands our immediate attention. Children living in poverty often face multiple hardships, including housing and food insecurity, limited access to healthcare, unpredictable environments and under-resourced schools. These challenges can hinder their academic performance and overall well-being, creating a ripple effect that educators must address.

Teachers and school leaders in high-poverty schools frequently encounter students with diverse and complex needs, requiring specialized training and support to provide effective, inclusive, supportive environments. Teacher preparation programs must adapt to equip educators with the skills and knowledge necessary to meet these challenges. This includes training in trauma-informed practices, culturally responsive teaching and strategies for engaging families and communities.

Despite its pervasive influence on teaching and learning, child poverty is often overlooked in school, district and state policy discussions. Its profound impact on education and life outcomes should be a rallying call for all of us. Two recent studies on child poverty underscore this urgency.

Earlier this year, the state comptroller issued a grim report on childhood poverty in New York. The report indicates that nearly one in five New York State children live in poverty, with almost half of these children living in "deep poverty" (living in a household with income that is below 50 percent of the poverty threshold). The five counties with the highest levels of childhood poverty include big cities as well as counties such as Broome and Chautauqua. We now see that small cities are experiencing "big city" challenges. The report's findings are not just significant but alarming:

• New York State's child poverty rate is one of the worst in the nation.
• The gap in child poverty rates between New York and the U.S. has been widening since 2019.
• Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo have child poverty rates double the average of other U.S. cities with similar populations. In 2022, between 40 and 46 percent of the children in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo were living in poverty; these cities rank second, fifth and seventh among large U.S. cities with the highest rates of child poverty.
• Four counties - Bronx, Brooklyn, Chautauqua and Broome - had child poverty rates above 25 percent. The most recent U.S. Census report reveals that the national child poverty rate is 12 percent; rates in the Bronx and Brooklyn are significantly higher at 35 and 27 percent.

A recently concluded longitudinal study conducted by the American Education Research Association (AERA) examined the economic disparity in children's access to opportunities from birth through high school, considering factors such as home environment, childcare, school, afterschool activities and neighborhood. The study also explored how these opportunities are linked to educational attainment and earnings in early adulthood. Lastly, the researchers investigated whether opportunity is most strongly associated with these adult outcomes for children from low-income households.

The researchers found "significant opportunity gaps between children from low-income households and those from higher-income households. These gaps were strongly linked with educational attainment and earnings, especially for low-income children. This helps to explain why household income in early childhood predicts these outcomes in adulthood."

These two reports highlight the importance of our equity-focused approach to improving outcomes for all New York State students. They also show that children from low-income households often have fewer opportunities across different settings (home, early childhood programs, K-12 schools, afterschool programs and neighborhoods) and developmental periods (early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence). This suggests that we must invest systematically in opportunities across different contexts and developmental periods to create lasting impacts.

Specifically, New York's political and educational policy solutions must include interventions that provide opportunities across time and settings. Further, families living in concentrated poverty and high-risk environments need high-intensity support and services.

Addressing child poverty and educators' impact on education is not just about improving academic outcomes; it's about creating equitable and supportive environments where all students can thrive. This requires a concerted effort from policymakers and communities to implement sustainable solutions that break the cycle of poverty and promote long-term success for every child.

The data and analysis on child poverty in New York compel us to continually ask: As education leaders, what can we do to provide the "cumulative opportunities" necessary, from early childhood through adolescence, to achieve better educational attainment and life outcomes for all students? During the next few months, the State Education Department and the Board of Regents will explore answers to this question and how to better align targeted investments with our identified priorities within the P-20 framework. The goal is to create a seamless and cohesive educational experience supporting students at every academic stage.