A look into the poverty line and education achievement gap in Lubbock, as well as what is being done to change it.
According to City Data, 29 percent of Lubbock residents have an income below the poverty level, which is 7.9 percent higher than the state average. Additionally, 26.5 percent of children are below the poverty level and 41.8 percent of people who did not graduate high school are impoverished.
The poverty rate data maps of Lubbock on City Data show that the majority of residents with income below the poverty level live toward the east side of Lubbock. The same trend is present among those who did not graduate high school and are living below the poverty line.
Residents with income below the poverty level/city-data.com
People living below the poverty line who did not graduate high school/city-data.com
The Education Equality Index (EEI) is a comparative measure of the achievement gap between students from low-income families. According to the index, Lubbock has an EEI score of 36.5, falling in the range to be considered a large achievement gap.
So, does this mean students on the east side of Lubbock are not achieving academically at the same level as those who live on the west side?
According to Shared Justice, children who grow up in affluent communities experience numerous advantages over those living in poor neighborhoods.
Shared Justice suggests:
“To close the opportunity gap, the ‘education gap’ must also be addressed in minority communities. Since the two issues at play here, poverty and education, are so deeply intertwined, it is important for a variety of institutions to address the education gap from unique angles.”
Janie Ramirez, executive director of South Plains Closing the Gap (SPCTG), said in some cases poverty contributes to the lack of access to higher education because families do not understand the process and are still looking for the first generation college student.
Closing the Gap is an organization working to enroll more students in college by helping parents understand their role in their children’s education at the preschool level, making aware the value of post-secondary education and assisting students in clarifying their goals. The council formed in 2003 and formally became a nonprofit agency in 2009.
Ramirez said the goal of the organization is to increase the college going rates of students on the South Plains. She said a program like this is necessary in Lubbock and surrounding areas because the region has 40 rural school districts with town populations under 10,000. In these districts there are typically less than 25 graduates annually, and of these, less than 10 percent will enroll in post-secondary education.
Ramirez said the Lubbock area typically has about 48 percent of its graduates that will seek post-secondary opportunities. The state average is above 55 percent.
Financial gaps are cited by students and families as their number one reason for not pursuing college, Ramirez said. SPCTG has been fighting to close the education achievement gap by providing scholarship opportunities for high school graduates for the past five years. Ramirez said the council has provided $51 thousand in scholarships to graduates in the area.
Ramirez said another way the council is assisting students and families is to provide financial aid and college admissions training with the Juniors Way to Pay seminars for high school students and Careers R Us training for eighth graders.
“By preparing students with the information needed to plan, prepare and pay for college,” Ramirez said, “the council is impacting the college rates of the region.”
Ramirez said the education achievement gap is an ongoing issue, but it is improving. She said West Texans have always helped one another and South Plains Closing the Gap is expected to remain in force as long as there are students that need assistance.
Beverly Finch is the Lubbock Independent School District coordinator of Title One College and Career Readiness, as well as the district director of Advancement Via Individual Determination, or AVID.
AVID is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and other post-secondary opportunities.
Finch said AVID encourages college readiness, specifically targeting under-represented students that are often minorities, first generation college students and students on a free or reduced lunch plan.
AVID offers an elective class for middle and high school students. After an interview process, students may enroll in the class under the condition that they also enroll in two Advanced Placement or pre-AP classes. Finch started teaching at Estacado High School in 1988 and began teaching the AVID elective course her second year.
In AVID, students are provided support to be successful in their classes. College students facilitate tutorials twice a week in which students participate in extra writing and career exploration, and learn how to take notes and stay organized.
Finch said LISD has a lot of students from what she would call “working poor” families. In these families, parents often work two or three jobs, but without a high school diploma, they are not earning a salary that can support a child’s academic needs.
AVID has helped students from families without resources to go on field trips, fill out college applications and apply for the FAFSA. Finch said the AVID classes become like a family with the teacher as their parent.
“After four years it really is a family,” Finch said. “They know each other, they love each other and some will even go to college together.”
Students who participate in AVID are expected to apply to a four year university. Finch said students who participate in the program for three or four years do not actually experience an education gap in college. Finch said 80 percent of AVID students finish their first year successfully and stay in college.
“I love being an AVID teacher because I just saw how it changed lives,” Finch said.
About Katie Main
