Roughly 35,000 kids – representing two-thirds of the under-18 population – are living at risk in the Children’s Corridor. These kids were born to teen mothers or mothers without a high school education, or their family’s income near poverty the poverty level, qualifying them for free and reduced-price lunches. Because of these factors, these kids are less likely to perform well in school, putting them at a disadvantage when it’s time to enter the workforce. We already know, from many different metrics, that the level of need in the Corridor is immense. This map simply puts that need into stark… Read the Rest
We recently gathered together some facts that form a pointillist vision of the education landscape in the Children’s Corridor and the Denver metro area. Not only is the way we educate kids changing, but essential characteristics about the population we are educating have changed as well. In the past several years, the suite of schools in the region has grown to include charter schools, innovation schools, online schools, and others. At the same time, the school-age population has seen a rapid increase in free and reduced lunch (FRL) participation and English-language learner (ELL) enrollment. Here are some of the highlights:… Read the Rest
The number of Colorado children living in communities stricken with poverty has nearly quadrupled over the past decade – rising from 20,000 to 92,000 – according to the KIDS COUNT Data Snapshot released by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Statewide, eight percent of children live in high-poverty communities, which is below the national rate of eleven percent. However, the problem is growing faster in Colorado than in the rest of the country: Colorado’s percent increase in children living in poverty since 2000 was greater than every state except Alaska and Vermont. The Children’s Corridor, which runs from Denver’s Five Points… Read the Rest
Of the 36,755 Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools students living in the Corridor during the 2010-2011 school year, 78.7 percent – 28,940 kids – participate in the free and reduced lunch (FRL) program, which is an indicator of poverty. Lunch is more than food. It’s essential fuel for learning and social growth. Proper nutrition is tied to children’s performance in school. And malnutrition, especially during early childhood, has been linked to discipline problems and lower IQs. Students Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools who qualify for FRL under-perform compared to their peers. In 2011, 43 percent of… Read the Rest
