Blog Post #3- What “Counts” as Educational Policy? Notes Toward a New Paradigm
Blog Post #3-
What “Counts” as Educational Policy? Notes Toward a New Paradigm
For a long time, people have tried to fix "bad schools" by changing what students learn or how they are tested. Jean Anyon argues that this is not the only problem; the real problem is poverty outside the classroom. She believes that things like raising the minimum wage should be seen as educational policy. While I agree with her beliefs, I do see potential challenges; if we raise wages without fixing our benefit systems, we might accidentally make it harder for struggling families to survive.
Anyon writes that "neighborhood poverty builds walls around schools and classrooms that education policy does not penetrate or scale.” In wealthy suburbs, parents have the money to give their children books, computers, and safe homes which she refers to as the "engine" that makes schools successful. In cities, many families do not have that engine. She points out that many Black and Latino children live in families that struggle to pay for basics. Because of this, Anyon argues that we shouldn't just focus on textbooks rather we should focus on making sure parents earn a living wage so their kids have a stable home to learn in.
Her beliefs are so important however, in today’s world, it could raise concerns. First, there is Cost-Push Inflation. When businesses have to pay their workers more, they often raise their prices. If a mother gets a $2 raise, but her rent and grocery bills also go up by the same amount, she hasn't gained anything. If we raise minimum wage, the cost of food goes up; will the increase be enough for families to pay the inflated rates?
There is also the "Benefits Cliff." Most low-income government help comes in forms like SNAP (food stamps), childcare, housing allowances and lunch programs which are based on how much money a family makes. If the minimum wage goes up, a family might earn just enough to lose their benefits, but not enough to pay for those things on their own. For example:
SNAP: A small raise could push a family over the income limit, causing them to lose hundreds of dollars in food stamps every month.
Childcare: An increase could cause a mother to lose child care benefits.
Housing: Most families with housing vouchers must pay 30% of their income toward rent. If their wage goes up, their rent goes up too.
Free/Reduced Lunch: A raise in income could impact a students Free/reduced lunch eligibility.
If the cost of living rises and benefits disappear, the "wall" of poverty doesn't go away, it actually gets harder to climb. The "extra" money Anyon wants people to spend on education is immediately taken by the landlord. Here is a video that explains how the Benefits Cliff could hurt someone in Indiana who relies on public assistance.
Many states are working on ways to combat these issues. Massachusetts is working to reduce the impact of the Benefits Cliff by expanding tax credits, gradually phasing out benefits, and reforming assistance programs so families do not lose support all at once. Below is a video from the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts explaining how they are working towards a solution. Unfortunately not every state is being proactive so we have to try and ensure that policy leaders recognize this as a huge problem.
Anyon’s main point is important, we cannot ignore the economy. Schools can help assist families by:
- Assisting families with finding local/state resources for housing, food, and daycare so they don't hit the "cliff."
- Connecting families with local organizations that can donate school supplies and computers to the school.
- Fixing the tax system so urban schools get more funding directly.
- Working with officials to offer incentives for opening local businesses that hire local people.
Anyon’s work reminds us that educational inequality is not just a school problem but an economic problem; however, solving it requires coordinated policy changes across wages, benefits, and cost of living.
Hi Tayna! I had many similar thoughts about inflation, wages, and students' home stability. I found a statistic recently where it was showing the averages of both minimum wage and cost of a house. The gap between the two was just as expected (quite large) and minimum wage can't keep up. Like you said, if we raise minimum wage, but grocery prices go up as well, it could make it seem like nothing happened. Inflation is not the solution of course but it seems nearly impossible to change anything without this occurring. I mentioned the wage gap between male and females in my post and how, like you mentioned, you help families who have students in schools afford supplies or books to create a healthy learning environment outside of school. I agree that starting outside the school could in fact help inside of schools!
ReplyDeleteHi Tanya, thank you for the insightful read. I like how you presented possible issues if we fix some of the things that the author suggested such as a wage increase. Even if it may help them earn more, which would help their kids, it would inversely affect them if they received help from the government and earn over the threshold, potentially losing their benefits. It makes me think!
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