Education

Income inequality hits Mamaroneck schools hard

A mid-year report delivered at the Feb. 23 Mamaroneck Board of Education meeting revealed that a new approach instituted in September 2015 aimed at raising grades and test scores for the district’s approximately 900 students living in poverty is showing some signs of progress, particularly with the Hommocks Middle School’s Opportunity Plus group.

The problem of closing the increasing gap between a growing population of low-income students and the downward trend in their test scores and grades is a complex one that has plagued educators for decades, Mamaroneck’s Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Annie Ward said. “We have families with $10 million houses on the sound, but we also have several hundred homeless students,” she said.

The rate at which children from wealthier backgrounds succeed and their level of success academically forms a gap between them and the increasing number of low-income students who are not succeeding and in fact are doing worse in the classroom, Ward added.

Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Annie Ward, right, begins her presentation entitled “Systems Challenge Update” with a mention of Eric Jensen’s 2009 book “Teaching With Poverty in Mind,” which emphasizes enrichment instead of just instruction for low-income students.
Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Annie Ward, right, begins her presentation entitled “Systems Challenge Update” with a mention of Eric Jensen’s 2009 book “Teaching With Poverty in Mind,” which emphasizes enrichment instead of just instruction for low-income students.

New technology enables administrators to sift through student data on a more granular level so it’s easier to find the kids who need help and makes it easier to track and project academic performance.

Since September, the district has strategized with administrators and teachers to use very specific helping methods with individual students. “Enrichment” instead of “instruction” is the new focus.

The theory is that low-income students who gain confidence and feel comfortable in the school community can ultimately do well in classes, Ward added.

At each of the district’s four elementary schools and the middle school, there are small groups of smart, low-income students chosen for this kind of attention.

That attention takes many forms and has led teachers to find unexpected barriers for low-income students. For example, a trip to the Mamaroneck Public Library revealed that many of the low-income students’ library cards had been frozen from overdue fines or missing books. “That was something that we didn’t even know happened,” Ward said. Teachers worked with library personnel to fix the problem.

Other teachers have found that lack of Internet access at home and even finding time to do homework in the face of family responsibilities can impede academic success.

In one instance, a child at Mamaroneck Avenue School acted up right before recess after the only snow storm of the season. “He had never played in snow before and he knew he wouldn’t be allowed outside without the proper clothing,” Mamaroneck Avenue School Principal Carrie Amon said.

School staff [yes] were able to find snow pants and boots and the child was allowed outside.

Amon also recounted a Sunday trip to Fordham University with some of her low-income fourth- and fifth-graders, led by administrators and teachers. The children, who were part of the Mamaroneck Avenue School Amazings group, watched a basketball game, met the Fordham players and toured the locker room along with the campus.

“We’re trying to give them the opportunity to experience things that they might not usually be able to,” Amon said.

At Hommocks Middle School, Assistant Principal Rob Andrews oversees a group of 32 low-income students encouraged to join on the basis of their grit, leadership potential and intelligence. Using enrichment activities such as trips to local colleges and exclusive study and tutoring sessions, some students in the group raised their grades in core subjects by as many as 15 points. In addition, 24 of the 32 students in the Opportunity Plus program have perfect attendance records.

“Our early data is indicating progress,” Andrews said.