Washington State University Report Calls For Community Support

Defending_Childhood_brochure_cover-CorrIn a new report to the Washington State legislature, the Area Health Education Center at Washington State University looks at the effect of adverse experiences, economic well-being, safety and family challenges on academic success. The report does not find differences in the number of adverse experiences in poverty communities versus those that are more economically advantaged; instead it finds that poverty is an independent indicator of  reduced academic success.  “In effect, we describe two Washingtons, ” writes report author Christopher Blodgett, “one in which schools and their communities help the majority of their children prosper and other communities where loss takes too many children away from their promise. It is not an overstatement to say that collectively we are failing many of our children, and when this is so, we pay not only now but in the loss of the potential of these children as they transition to adulthood.”

Read the full report “No School Alone: How community risks and assets contribute to school and youth success” here.

Comments are closed.