All Means All
a four-part editorial series featuring Aiken County Public School District Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford
Imagine, for a moment, that you are late for work – at your second job.
You are a single parent who has already worked throughout the night and your children still need to be registered for the new school year today before your next shift. Are there enough funds in the account to even buy school supplies, you wonder?
For many parents of our students, the immediate focus each day lies squarely upon survival. This is, of course, unfortunate. But it is a stark reality that educators across our county, state and nation face head-on. We must face it if we are to better position ourselves to enhance the future of our community by ensuring positive outcomes for all students. This is no mere task. It is a moral obligation.
The impact of poverty upon achievement is well-documented. When families struggle to survive, the energy in the household is not always placed in supporting a child’s educational endeavors.
The effects of poverty are most prevalent as students first enter our doors. When a student begins Kindergarten without knowing shapes, colors or how to spell their name, barriers are already in place between that student and a successful outcome. Having stated that, there are some poor families who put great emphasis on their children’s academics, despite unimaginable financial challenges at home.
Yes, poverty can be a powerful and debilitating opponent. Poverty can suppress the fortunes of an entire family for generations and stagnate the development potential of students at all grade levels. But we also know that poverty can be overcome. And it must be overcome if we are to succeed in our endeavor – and we will succeed.
We must work each day as a District to ensure that we are providing a level playing field where opportunities for all students abound no matter what their family income level may be. That must be our guarantee to all stakeholders. All Means All.
We are not alone in the fight against poverty; neither are we its most desperate combatant. There are counties in South Carolina where poverty not only represents a significant challenge, but where it is THE significant challenge that both the school district and the community face.
In 2014, the South Carolina Supreme Court issued a landmark decision meant to help bridge the divide between the poorest of our counties and school districts and those with many more available resources. The decision was two decades in the making while funding for the education of our children was fought over and contested in court. The decision meant, in my mind, that the Supreme Court agreed that in order for all South Carolina students to achieve an equitable education, school districts with fewer local resources should receive more support from the state.
The fact that even now, two years later, at least one recent report authored by the S.C. Appleseed Legal Justice Center suggests the state continues to spend fewer dollars on students in our poorest districts highlights that the work is far from done.
In Aiken County, our poverty problem reaches much deeper into our communities than many might be willing to admit or believe. The fact is, we have a substantial number of residents in our county whose income is at or below the poverty line. Poverty exists more widespread than just isolated pockets relegated to a few neighborhoods.
Students who come to school with LESS, need MORE. It’s just that simple.
Such a statement no doubt begs the question: What does MORE mean in Aiken County?
The answer is that it can mean many things, depending greatly in many respects upon what the LESS is. Students who arrive at school in the primary grades with underdeveloped skills, deserve more time and attention. There may be some students who are advanced cognitively, but struggle socially and emotionally. They may need more care, nurturing and counseling. Students who come to school with fewer resources and who may be dealing with hunger at home, those children need food to take home over the weekend.
Similarly, we may encounter a student who lives in a nice subdivision and has everything needed by society’s measurements, but who also may be lacking in another area. That student needs more. It applies across the board and includes each and every student. Those who come to school with less need more, no matter what that may be.
When it comes to serving students of poverty, as educators we must always consciously choose to employ empathy along with understanding in order to have a real chance at reaching the best possible outcome for that student. We know that when a family is just trying to survive, that survival comes first. Right or wrong, education becomes a luxury many may feel they cannot afford.
A healthy marriage of education and opportunity can break the vicious cycle of generational poverty that mutes the potential of so many. That’s why we will always strive as a District to offer initiatives like an Early College program to those who possess the necessary drive and who would benefit the most from the opportunity – a first generation college student being chief among them. That student may then access high-quality employment and be working on a pension by the time they are thirty. That’s a game-changer on any scorecard!
Those are the types of outcomes we want for all students. Much of what we would quantify as success in life is tied directly to opportunities our education affords us. Students with opportunity combined with a solid work ethic and personal responsibility are poised to become valued, contributing members of our society. Those students are then placed in a position to not only function in life independent of government assistance, but also to be presented with the greatest of all opportunities – the opportunity to help others.
District News Release: 081216 PR ALL MEANS ALL 3 FINAL