Poverty Archives - Tennessee Star

U.S. Sees Largest Rise in Poverty Rate in 50 Years Amid Pandemic

January 27, 2021January 26, 2021 Admin

The U.S. poverty rate saw its sharpest increase since the 1960s as the coronavirus pandemic devastated the economy in 2020, according to a recent study.

The poverty rate increased 2.5 percentage points from 9.3% in June to 11.8% in December, according to the study released Monday by economists Bruce Meyer, of the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan, of the University of Notre Dame, Bloomberg reported. In total, 8.1 million Americans were added to ranks of the poor, according to the researchers.

Commentary: California Is a Cruel Medieval State

March 10, 2020March 9, 2020 Admin

One way of understanding California is simply to invert traditional morality. What for centuries would be considered selfish, callous, and greedy is now recalibrated as caring, empathetic, and generous. The current ethos of evaluating someone by his or her superficial appearance – gender or race – has returned to the premodern values of 19th-century California when race and gender calibrated careers. We don’t pay medieval priests for indulgences of our past and ongoing sin, but we do tweet out displays of our goodness as the penance price of acting amoral.

The Poorest 20 Percent of Americans Are Richer on Average Than Most Nations of Europe

August 27, 2019August 27, 2019 Admin

A groundbreaking study by Just Facts has discovered that after accounting for all income, charity, and non-cash welfare benefits like subsidized housing and Food Stamps – the poorest 20% of Americans consume more goods and services than the national averages for all people in most affluent countries. This includes the majority of countries in the prestigious Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), including its European members. In other words, if the U.S. “poor” were a nation, it would be one of the world’s richest.

Half-a-Million Low-Income Ohioans With Suspended Licences Could Be Eligible for Relief With New Program

February 16, 2019February 15, 2019 Andrew Shirley

For many low-income Ohioans who have lost their drivers licenses for minor or unintentional offenses, there is no greater frustration than paying your debt to society, only to be denied your ability to drive legally because you can’t afford a government fee. Thankfully, relief is in sight for thousands of these…

Commentary: Socialism and the Vicious Circle of Child Marriage

January 21, 2019January 20, 2019 Admin

by Rev. Ben Johnson She was the brightest girl in her class, and 13-year-old Maureen dreamed of an education that would get her out of the poverty that bogged down her hometown of Mudzi, Mashonaland, Zimbabwe. Her parents promised to pay her tuition – but her family hit hard…

Education Policy: 9 Issues to Address in 2019

October 6, 2018October 5, 2018 JC Bowman

Public education is not “broken.” Public education policy is “broken,” and neighborhood public schools are suffering the consequences. Here are nine of the most critical and challenging issues in public education we should address in 2019 in Tennessee.

Will Tennessee’s New Plan To Break The Cycle Of Poverty Only Perpetuate It?

June 19, 2018June 18, 2018 John Bryant

Tennessee is increasingly adopting “a two-generation approach” to fighting poverty, which combines the focus on parents and children when it comes to food stamps and other cash assistance programs. The approach may indeed pay off and is being implemented across more and more states, yet, it still appears to be…

Memphis, Knoxville Among Worst Cities, USA TODAY Says of Towns It Calls Home

June 14, 2018June 13, 2018 Jason M. Reynolds

Media giant Gannett has compiled a list of what it says are the 50 worst cities to live in, and some of the top locations are towns where it operates newspapers, including two in Tennessee. USA TODAY compiled the list using data from 24/7 Wall Street, a website that publishes…

Commentary: Giving Back at Thanksgiving

November 22, 2017November 21, 2017 JC Bowman

Poor and starving people are not particularly appealing news stories, but fighting poverty is and should be a moral imperative for citizens in our cities, state and nation. Educators are often on the frontlines‎.

Commentary: A Rally Cry for School Improvement

May 31, 2017May 30, 2017 JC Bowman

All children in Tennessee deserve an exceptional education. School improvement is only possible when accompanied within a framework of collaboration and support.

Commentary: Changing the Trajectory

May 24, 2017May 24, 2017 JC Bowman

Our economy goes hand in hand with quality education. A strong educational system is essential not only to the successful functioning of a democracy, but also to its very future.

Commentary: All Means All

March 24, 2017March 24, 2017 JC Bowman

Today, with inclusion being the norm, a teacher is given the unenviable task of teaching all students with individualized lessons appropriate for them. In some schools, there may be support from teacher aides or education specialists, but society demands (and rightly so) that each student be given the same opportunities.

Commentary: More Important Than a Test Score

March 7, 2017March 7, 2017 JC Bowman

An engaging and challenging education is the proven path to prosperity and a life-long love of learning. Teachers consistently tell us that “testing” and “preparing students for a test” are among their top concerns in our internal surveys.

Commentary: Poverty & Education

March 3, 2017March 3, 2017 JC Bowman

More than 16 million children are growing up in poverty, meaning that 22% of all children live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level of $23,550 a year. Research has shown that children living in poverty have a higher number of absenteeism and dropout rates than those coming from middle class or higher.

Commentary: Killing Public Education

February 22, 2017February 23, 2017 JC Bowman

Bill O’Reilly has gone on quite a killing spree. I think he should also write one called Killing Public Education. Let’s not wait until the autopsy or until Bill O’Reilly writes another book to explain that educators must be given a more active role in determining the policies that concern their students and the teaching profession.