– During the Holiday Season, it’s common for us to reflect on how difficult this time of year is for families in poverty, and even engage in charitable acts of kindness. While this is a tradition that will—and certainly should—continue this year, 2013 is also the year that a special emphasis has been placed on the issue of poverty in our city and across the nation.

We’ve always known that economically disadvantaged children face more challenges in school than their more affluent peers. The new narrative entering the discussion is just how many children face this reality.

The poverty rate in Philadelphia is around 28 percent, but the reality of being poor is not confined to those who live in the city. The Inquirer’s Al Lubrano just reported on how the effects of a struggling economy can be seen even in the nearby suburbs.

Last week, USA Today published a sobering opinion piece outlining the impact that poverty has on public school students. The piece cites a new study from the Southern Education Foundation that reveals nearly half of the nation’s public school students live in poverty. The New York Times has published a truly eye-opening five-part series chronicling the life of Dasani, one of 22,000 homeless children struggling to learn and survive in New York City.

These stories shining a light on the faces of poverty represent disturbing accounts of an increasingly grim phenomenon. It’s distressing to read and hear the growing problem of poverty, how much it is costing us, and how it will impact the future of too many children. If there’s a silver lining, it’s that there is an increasing awareness that poverty is not “someone else’s problem,” or an excuse for lower academic achievement. It is something that we have to face and fight as a city, a community and a country.

All of this underscores the need for Pennsylvania to implement a fair funding formula for education. The research clearly indicates that schools and districts with high poverty populations need more resources in order to close the social and academic learning gaps that exist between poor and wealthier children. Moreover, schools are the one place many of our poorest children can go to get hot meals, healthcare, counseling and much-needed stability and constancy in their lives.

This is not asking for a handout. It is recognizing that there is a dire long-term cost to the current practice of slashing education budgets, and to cutting school programs and services like nurses and guidance counselors. We can no longer afford to place our most vulnerable children—and our city’s future—at risk.

Poverty is quickly becoming the biggest threat to the lives of our children and the security of our nation. It won’t be solved by solely individuals donating to charities at Christmastime. It’s time for city, state and federal legislators to embrace the idea that helping poor families must be more than a holiday tradition.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/notes/philadelphia-federation-of-teachers/jerry-jordans-blog-fighting-poverty-tis-more-than-just-a-season/734601619903251