Addressing Poverty in Schools: Turnaround

Department of Education worked with an organization, the Children’s Mental Health Alliance, to evaluate the impact of the attack on the city’s public school children. Studies have shown that children growing up in poverty experience significant levels of stress that causes them to be sad, distracted, and aggressive in school. Dr. Pamela Cantor saw this trend in the high-poverty schools she visited. The Children’s Mental Health Alliance worked with the Department of Education to address the problem associated with education and traumatized children living in poverty. A new organization was formed called Turnaround. The organization focuses on creating a setting where children can feel safe in school, working with teachers to help them keep students on track, and providing the school with a social worker who can help children with their emotional and psychological needs. While Turnaround is a relatively small organization, it demonstrates the importance in starting to cope with the challenges of poverty by creating schools that are ready to deal with the issues at hand.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/28/opinion/nocera-addressing-poverty-in-schools.html?_r=0

Addressing Poverty in New York: Community Action Associations (CAAs)

New York Community Action Associations have been around for more than 50 years. The associations have been a great federally-designated network of antipoverty agencies. The agencies are involved in finding new methods to address the causes and effects of poverty. They provide services to individuals and families to help them achieve a secure economic lifestyle. Services include support for education, employment and family support services for families of low income. The CAAs also focus on promoting community economic development through collaborations and community partnerships.

Source: http://nyscommunityaction.org/about-community-action/community-action/