Article by Gabrihanna Jones
We are taught that education is a crucial part of our lives, and that it should be cherished because it provides opportunity for all of us. The same testament doesn’t always apply to rural students. They have to fight other issues daily diminish the quality of education in their schools, which makes them unable to appreciate the education available to them. The National Center for Education Statistics says that14% of children in the US are affected by rural poverty. These children don’t have adequate healthcare or housing, and overall lack access to opportunities and resources to better their situation. Due to the inadequate attention and support that rural communities receive, they continue the generational cycle of poverty, locking these children into poverty for a lifetime.
When we talk about generational poverty, it is important to think about what has caused rural communities specifically to be disadvantaged. According to the International Monetary Fund, “Distorted government policies, such as penalizing the agriculture sector and neglecting rural (social and physical) infrastructure, have been major contributors to both rural and urban poverty. The rural poor depend largely on agriculture, fishing, and forestry, and related small-scale industries and services." This means that these communities are inherently disadvantaged by the country because of their jobs, which have been largely neglected by the government.
Poverty among children is prominent today. A 2019 study (Graph 1) of metro and non-metro children in poverty shows that 24% of children under 5 years old are in rural poverty, which is 6.7% more than those in metro areas. Furthermore, it shows a 21.1% of children under 18 that live in poverty, which is alarmingly high. In addition, the US Department of Education says that 76% of rural households with students from ages 5-17 are two-parent households in Graph 2. In comparison, about 66% of households in the city are two-parent households. There is a common misconception that two-parent households have dual incomes and so should be financially thriving, but this is the opposite for rural households. Dual income for many rural households means they are just making ends meet; many times, even if families have two parents, they only have one breadwinner. These children are school-aged and so they worry about these home insecurities, affecting their education indirectly by affecting them.
Graph 1.
Graph 2.
One main effect of poverty is poor health. Many impoverished children are physically and mentally affected because they lack proper access to healthcare resources. According to the National Survey of Children's Health 2011-2012 (Graph 3), most rural communities are on public health insurance or uninsured, and because of that, they do not receive adequate healthcare for all their possible needs. In the same study, it is seen that school-aged children from 6-17 have cases of chronic conditions more frequently (Graph 4). Both small and large rural communities lead across the chart with the highest percentages of cases of chronic illnesses. They are more affected specifically because their unhealthy living conditions; because of these conditions, they have bigger priorities other than school, which can affect their focus on their studies. This is a leading factor in their repetitive cycle. In addition to physical health, children’s mental health is affected by poverty as well. In the same study, it is shown that children 2-17 in rural communities are going through mental health and developmental problems more often than those in urban areas (Graph 5). In different age groups, at least one of the rural groups, small or large, leads the chart in having the most mental illnesses. Though the chart specifically discusses about the children receiving mental health services, it is important to keep in mind this isn't fully representative of the entire population with mental health issues, as many don't receive treatment. The rural community is the most disadvantaged, having the highest rates of mental health issues, yet have the least healthcare options available to them.
Graph 3.
Graph 4.
Graph 5.
Lastly, we can see the effects of poverty manifest in their education. In the NSCH survey in Graph 6, the rural children aged 6-17 who have repeated a grade far surpass the number of urban children who have. Combined, the rural communities with children 6-11 have 22.4% of students who have repeated grades, and 29.6% of children 12-17 have repeated grades as well. This covers children across all grades. It illustrates how their home lives affect their learning and quality of education. The children don’t have the opportunity to do well because they are so preoccupied with other obligations and face other severe problems outside of school.
Graph 6.
In all, if the children are the future, then the US and its policies are failing. Rural students are fighting so many different battles that their education and future are sacrificed, locking them into a perpetual cycle of generational poverty.
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