Study: Children in Public Housing Do Worse in School

A study from NYU says that children in public housing are "more likely to drop out of high school and less likely to graduate in four years than those who do not live in public housing," the NY Times reports. You can read the policy brief (PDF) from the Furman Center. One hypothesis suggests the lack of resources and role models students from public housing have might be to blame, but the study its data "do not allow us to isolate the reason for the disparity" and "we do not claim that living in NYCHA housing causes students to perform differently from students living in other housing." And the NYC Housing Authority tells the Times the agency has "serious concerns and reservations" about the study, adding its data is "limited, dated and incomplete."

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By Jen Chung in News on November 24, 2008 11:35 AM

Comments [rss]

Snoopy

Nanny is totally correct. If you come home from school and drop off your books and do your advance math homework as well as writing a term paper on "The depression of Blacks throughout the Twentieth Century as described by Rev. Al and Jesse J.", how could one get down stairs to play b'ball within the limited time? AND the elevators aren't working, what is a child to do?

Rfive

thank you robert moses.

NannyState

I blame the elevators :)

amandabee

Or maybe you just can't get a decent nights sleep and you're scared all the time, which does start to take a toll on a kid.

Quidnam

"It also may mean that increased resources should be provided at the individual or family level to help close the achievement gap, including improving kids’ access to networks outside of their public housing development."

In other words, "tear down the projects." Give people individual vouchers and other means of support if they are poor and would otherwise lack housing.

Whoever it was that decided creating dense concentrations of entrenched poverty in urban mega-complexes would be a viable public policy solution has, to say the least, done us a great disservice.

We need to turn the page, as other cities have done.

Snoopy

"One hypothesis suggests the lack of resources..." I suggest that a billion dollars be set aside so that there are libraries and study rooms be built in every NYCHA building.

Either that or bigger and more basketball courts.

Tar_Baby

We need to spend more money on public housing so that these kids will do better in school.

Wza

Pretty much what everyone else said.

Talk about Duhhh..

Shinobi Shaw

EUGENICS at its finest.

tsol

GIGO.

soopaman

you mean crack doesnt help you study

ides_of_march

Was this study carried out by NYU's Department of Duhhhh?

Whatever they spent on this study, anybody with a dime's worth of common sense could have told them for free.

Brooklynbobby

"One hypothesis suggests the lack of resources and role models . . ."

WHAT????????? Gangstas aren't role models??????

Think2wice

Now will this city sell the projects!?

UnrepentantFenian

Stupid project dwellers breed stupid kids - I'm shocked. Poor people are poor for a reason. The NYCHA should be dissolved.

Rocknrope

I think this research group is the same one that determined last year that water was wet.

Billiamsburg

wow what's next? they have poorer nutrition and are more likely to commit crime?! This is gonna shock the liberal welfare policies dont ya think?