Poverty & Society

1. Poverty & Society • Logistics • CEM groups • Forms • Schools • Capitalism • Mark your calendars now…February 23rd, the ministers visit…attendance will be a mandatory assignment

2. Groups…. • No tutoring during our spring break (3/1- 3/4) • No tutoring 2/15 (Presidents Day) and 3/29-4/5 (Chester spring break) • I’ll email about snow-days • I’m checking on a bunch of half days

3. Forms… • Fundraising and/or campus visit

4. 1. After reading the poem “Being Poor,” please pick two of the lines that you found most moving, interesting, disturbing, compelling or sad. Explain what it was about the lines that made you feel that way? • Being Poor

5. 3. The article by Widener president James Harris reflects on the role of the university in modern society. According to Harris, what is the role of the university in addressing poverty in society? 

6. President Harris, this Class and You

7. Harris and Harkavy

8. President Harris, this Class and You • “The fundamental question that Widener must ask itself is, What is its primary mission? Should not its focus be on preparing students as citizens in a twenty-first century democracy by modeling good citizenship as an institution and measuring its success by how well it is contributing to the physical, social, and civic well-being of the people in the communities that it serves (Harris and Harkavy 2003: 152).”

9. 4. President Harris’s position is not shared by everyone. In your opinion, do universities have a special obligation to help the least fortunate in society? Why or why not? • “Widener is making me go to one of the skankiest places in the skankiest city in Pennsylvania. It’s wrong and not fair.” • An unhappy student who did not like going to the Homeless shelter in the first service learning class I taught… • How would you respond to this student? What would you say to him?

10. President Harris, this Class and You • Now that you have been there…do you have any new apprehensions, worries or questions?

11. President Harris, this Class and You • Now that you have been there…do you have any new apprehensions, worries or questions? • Fights and violence • Relating to the kids • Ability to do the work • General nervousness

12. What are some of the problems described in Chester school problems persist. Be sure to incorporate one direct quote into your answer.

13. Understanding Chester Schools • Parental Involvement…research shows poor parents valuable education but… • Due to own education, often don’t have ability to help kids… • Due to own work demands, often can’t help kids… • Participate less in schools and other institutions…more on this later • Lack of resources…How do we fund our schools? • “…dozens of students walked out of class to protest overcrowding, a teacher shortage, and a lack of books.”

14. Understanding Chester Schools * Lack of resources…How do we fund our schools? • Local Property taxes

15. Understanding Chester Schools • What does this mean for poor towns with low property values or with lots of tax exempt property?

16. Understanding Chester Schools • What does this mean for towns with low property values or with lots of tax exempt property? • Can not generate adequate revenue • Even when they tax themselves at higher rates • Problem is particularly severe in urban areas • Massive job loss  population loss excess housing falling property values reduced tax revenue…much more on this later • Significant amounts of tax exempt property • Anyone know how much Widener pays Chester in property taxes?

17. Poor Cities with Poor Schools • Conditions…Awful • Old electric typewriters instead of computers • Collapsing Ceilings • Improper or No Science equipment • Old Books…book without pages • “someday man will land on the moon.” • No gyms, not tracks no showers • Classes held in coat rooms, coal bins, storage rooms • Low, non-competitive salaries: $7,000 a year less • Chester: “…dozens of students walked out of class to protest overcrowding, a teacher shortage, and a lack of books.”

18. Schools Compared

19. In what ways do you think that problems like those described in the article impact on the future opportunities for the kids who must attend the schools? • In “Poverty is Poison”, Krugman presents data about poverty and social mobility. According to the research mentioned, how likely is it that a child who started out in a low income family will end up low income later in life? What does the research show about low income Blacks? Be sure to provide statistical evidence from the text.

20. Schools Compared

21. Poverty is Poison… “According to one recent estimate, American children born to parents in the bottom fourth of the income distribution have almost a 50 percent chance of staying there — and almost a two-thirds chance of remaining stuck if they’re black. Note the next slide…

22. Social Mobililty

23. Next • Measuring Poverty…Understanding Poverty