Unemployment may be at an all-time high, but so are the number of homeless students in public schools across the country. In the 2008-2009 school year, there were 954,915 homeless students, compared with 679,724 students two years prior.
Although schools cannot control their students' financial situations, schools like Fern Creek Elementary are doing their best to create a sanctuary for underprivileged students.
Twenty-one percent of the Orlando, Fla., school's student population is made up of homeless students who are eager to get away from overcrowded shelters to attend class. Poor students are at a great disadvantage in school, but statistics show that homeless students are significantly worse off. One-third of Fern Creek's 59 homeless students have been held back a grade.
In the state of Virginia, 21.2 percent of students who are homeless at some point during their high school years drop out, compared with 14.8 percent of all poor children who drop out. The Department of Education for the state of Colorado found that the high school graduation rate for homeless students is 48 percent, compared with the state's average of 72 percent.
It's comforting to know that students facing horrible financial situations still have the ability to get an education. However, something has to be implemented to help these children catch up to their peers. They're already at a financial disadvantage; is it fair for them to have an academic disadvantage as well?
Read more at the New York Times.
In other news: Wikileaks Founder: Facebook Is a Spy Machine.
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