Robert Putnam: When Did Poor Kids Stop Being ‘Our Kids’?,

        There have been dramatic changes in American life just in the last quarter century as we place increasing value on individual independence.  In his 2000 book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam, a researcher at Harvard University, notes declining civic ties among adults.  He notes that students in poverty growing up in the middle of last century had greater economic and social mobility than children in the same situations growing up today.  He suggests that we as a society have drifted away from the notion that “it takes a village,” and he writes about the increasing inequalities among America’s poor children.   

        According to the article in Education Week, Robert Putnam: When Did Poor Kids Stop Being ‘Our Kids’?, the wealthiest 25% of students were two to three times more likely than the poorest 25% to have an adult mentor outside of the family.  Mr. Putnam emphasizes the importance of informal relationships with adults who are outside of the students’ economic class who can serve as mentors, support students with their education, help students with the college application process, and guide students not only in career planning, but in life (Sparks, 2015).

A recent analysis of data of the National Educational Longitudinal Study finds that even top performing students in poverty have a difficult time getting ahead. Students in the poorest 25% of families who performed in the top one-third on national math achievement were slightly less likely to graduate college than low performing students in the wealthiest 25% of families (29% vs. 30%) (Sparks, 2015)

The book offers a few suggestions on ways educators can help rebuild poor students' social and educational supports, including:

·         Tailor school-based parent-involvement programs to specific skills and supports. For example, Mr. Putnam suggests that rather than simply asking parents to "read to your child every day," schools can provide coaching on specific skills, like questioning-and-response practices.

·         Build more community-school partnerships to provide health, social services, and enrichment activities for students in schools.

·         Ensure that students in poverty have access to both advanced courses and strong career training, even in high-poverty schools.

Sparks, S. D. (2015, March 9). Robert Putnam: When did poor kids stop being 'our kids'? Education Week.