Think further — make the poverty connection
We are reminded frequently that New Mexico has the highest rate of poverty of all the states, except when we are edged out by Mississippi. We are also told almost as often that the students attending public schools have some of the lowest test scores in the country.
Unfortunately, the second sobering statistic is rarely related to the first, that the low test scores are the result of the high percentage of students coming from backgrounds of poverty.
There is, however, a steady stream of ideas for raising test scores. “We must do better.” These proposals rarely acknowledge that the state’s poverty level could be the cause. Several weeks ago, the Interfaith Coalition for Public Schools convened a panel to discuss charter schools, but apparently there was little time devoted to poverty. It was principally about organization and funding. Similarly, Think New Mexico has recently issued a report, which essentially concludes that high administrative expenditures, and thus fewer dollars devoted to education, are a major cause of low scores. Eliminating excessive administrative costs is always a worthy goal, but it is not clear that this in itself will raise scores.
It should be obvious that students who enter school never having been read to, never having been on a playground, never having seen a doctor or dentist, living in overcrowded quarters, often with a single mother, not having enough to eat, living in an abusive household, changing schools frequently or being homeless — or subject to a combination of these circumstances — are at a great disadvantage relative to their classmates who have experienced few if any of these conditions. It is not their fault.
They did not choose where to be born. They are, as are their parents, victims of the shameful level of poverty in the United States and Santa Fe. For years the poverty rate in the Santa Fe Public Schools has been over 70 percent, more than 9,000 students. Perhaps even more startling is the fact that roughly 10 percent of students are homeless at some time during the year, well over 1,000 students.
The national Communities In Schools organization has established, through extensive research, that its program of working with low-income students with on-site coordinators supporting individuals from backgrounds of poverty improves graduation rates substantially, as well as helps students succeed and stay in school.
Its affiliate in New Mexico is proving the same thing. This year, 11 graduates of the Engage program and seven from Capital High attributed their success to a Communities In Schools New Mexico coordinator. The common comment was, “Without the coordinator, I would not have made it to graduation. They helped me with everything from tutoring to food and just emotional support. They kept me going.” Twelve of the 18 plan to go to college. It is clear that providing such individual support makes a difference.
Think New Mexico cites as evidence of its administrative cost conclusion the public schools in Texico, a town of fewer than 1,500 residents near Clovis with 560 students in the public schools. Those schools seem to be a centerof-town activity, and presumably the schools and their students receive much support. That may well contribute more to the schools’ test levels than low administrative expenses.
The most effective way to improve the progress of the majority of Santa Fe Public Schools’ students is to provide individual support. There are many ways to volunteer, and there are many organizations that assist students. They need our support. Two of these, The Food Depot and Communities In Schools of New Mexico, were recognized Saturday at the Mayor’s Ball. The people of Santa Fe play an important role in student success.
A longtime community volunteer, William C. Carson and his wife, Georgia, helped found the Salazar Partnership in 1998 to provide medical, social, academic and extracurricular support to students at Salazar Elementary. In 2012, that program partnered with the national Communities In Schools organization and now serves 5,000 children in Santa Fe Public Schools.