OSF's that can effect the education of children

In reading the article Poverty and Potential:Out of School Factors and School Success by David C. Berliner, I felt he really hit the nail on the head in his research and writing. Being a product of the public school setting on the lower end of the SES, I believe the article is relevant in shedding light on topics that seem to be ignored when it comes to designing educational experiences for our students. The article covers everything from racial contributions to food consumption. I feel it is imperative that we take into account all the factors that may contribute the learning or lack thereof of our children not matter how minute or large. It is next to impossible to believe that teachers and other professionals that work with children can make miracles in the classrooms. Children come to classrooms from an array backgrounds, belief systems, families, and so forth. What may be effective for most will not be effective for all. It is up to us as members of society to properly educate our youth. It is not conducive to believe that one teacher can successfully reach 30 students with varying needs, abilities, and potential in roughly nine months. These nine months are interrupted by holidays, half days, and breaks. Also, in Illinois, we have one of the shortest school days.

I feel that the factors mentioned in the article greatly reflects the state of our economy and society today. Because the high unemployment rate and the number of families are at or below the poverty line, it is next to impossible for families to provide what many would consider a viable living for their children. Our students are being raised in neighborhoods that have high crime rates, no community services for families, and gangs that are preying on youth. It is an uphill battle for many students to rise above their surroundings and "make it out". Many families can not afford adequate medical insurance or medical insurance period. There are free services and free insurance for qualifying families, but there is such a large portion of people who still are uninsured or underinsured for diverse reasons. One factor, I hadn't greatly considered was pollutants. Children are becoming ill just by breathing, eating, and drinking. Pollutants, such as mercury, can affect the behavior and health of students. One thing i found disturbing in the article was the mention of how schools are aware of the relationship between a calorie rich and school performance. It was mention that schools that provided a calorie rich diet on test days achieved higher test scores. Having this knowledge, schools provide calorie rich foods on test days, but fail to continue through the remainder of the school year. It is quite sad that we know how to help our children and it is as simple as providing proper meals, but we choose to put this knowledge in the closet and use it when we need it; meanwhile our children our suffering.

In short, there are many factors outside the classroom that contribute to the learning process. It is up to society as a whole to help our children. We must find ways to make our children's basic needs are meet: food, shelter, medical attention, clothing, and safety. We must take accountabilty for providing services such as family outreach programs and afterschool programs for students and their families. We need to break this segregation of our school. Our school population should reflect society as much as possible. In other words, classrooms should be composed of diverse races and students from different ethniticities, religions, and so forth. I believe in order for us to grow and move towards a better tomorrow, we must start getting prepared today.

I looked at http://www.parenting-ed.org/html/html/Creating%20a%20Home%20Environment%20Handouts.htm. This page provides parents with information I feel is useful for them. Although, many of the items mentioned are so simplistic in nature, they still are imperative. Parents/caregivers are important to the learning process and need to take that role seriously. I think if parents are better prepared, they can better prepare their children, thus increasing achievement in school and in life.