If added together, homeless students now would make up the largest school district in the country—at nearly 1.17 million, considerably more than the entire student population of New York City public schools. Their numbers have grown 24 percent in the last three years, and 10 percent in the last year alone, according to a new federal analysis released by the National Center for Homeless Education, part of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Forty states have seen a rise in their homeless-student populations in 2011-12, and 10 of those faced a jump of 20 percent or more.

One cannot expect to achieve gains in education when one turns a blind eye to poverty.  The test results of these children are guaranteed to be low.  No great teaching will raise them up.  Whereas the number of children living in shelters has remained relatively flat,  the numbers doubling-up with friends or family, living in hotels and motels, and those without any kind of shelter at all have increased since 2009…

Just last week we saw the results of a study by Southern Education Foundation which showed : 17 states spanning nearly all of the South, Southwest and West Coast, the majority of public school students qualified for free or reduced-price meals in 2011 

Transportation is always one of the biggest problems for homeless students…

It is time to stop babysitting corporations who take, take, take.  And stop coddling the extreme wealthy who take, take, take.  Every legislator now, right now, needs between now and January, to travel their district, go door to door, and ask how their constituents are doing.  Once you get the real answer, be prepared to say no to Governor Markell’s upcoming tax break for the wealthy, Instead, we need multiple tiers at the top, and we need to increase the percentages paid by those who can afford it. We should not be giving tax breaks to rich as long as we have one student who is homeless!

There is just too much work to be done….. to keep playing Santa Clause to rich people.