The number of Iowa kids growing up in poverty is at a 50-year high, and our state’s childhood poverty rate is climbing faster than the national average. In fact, 41 percent of students in Iowa schools live in poverty and are eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.
Education is considered a great equalizer, capable of helping less advantaged kids improve their chances for success in life. But history has shown that children from affluent families tend to do better in school. While the achievement gap between white and black students has narrowed significantly over the past few decades, the gap in student achievement between well-off and low-income students is growing.
Schools with lots of students from low-income families send fewer graduates to college than schools with high-income families, according to a new study by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Schools with more than half of their students in poverty had lower rates of college enrollment and saw more of their students drop out of college than did higher-income schools.
We must do more to help students from low-income families. One idea is to provide schools with an extra $250 for each student who qualifies for free or reduced-price lunches (SSB 3160). That amounts to less than 10 percent additional funding for these Iowa students. The national average is an additional 29 percent. Schools use the money to boost student achievement among low-income students, through before and after-school education programs, summer school, intensive tutoring, mentoring and more.
Our students could benefit from these extra dollars now more than ever. Iowa is more than $1,500 below the national average in terms of how much we invest in each student. In recent years, we’ve fallen to 37th in the nation when it comes to per-pupil spending. With our state budget in excellent shape, it’s a trend we need to reverse.