On Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a heartbreaking story about children living in poverty.  It’s estimated that the poverty rate for kids in the U.S. will soon hit 25% — the largest American generation to be raised in hard times since the Great Depression – and the segment raises many questions about how poverty factors into education, and vice versa. Meanwhile, this video about the changing education paradigms also came to my attention today (it’s a bit hefty at 11 minutes, but worth every second), and the two clips together paint a fairly bleak portrait about how our kids are faring in the current economic and education climate.

We know that the percentage of kids in schools who are living below the poverty line is growing year after year. And when a kid quite literally doesn’t have enough food to eat, it’s safe to assume that reading and homework are likely to fall the wayside. While the immediate needs of food and shelter are the most pressing, the effects of falling behind in school are nothing short of disastrous.

Like many Americans, I’ve been closely following the recent legislation that effectively cut funding for a highly valued literacy program that’s been in operation for decades, Reading is Fundamental (RIF). Scholastic has partnered with RIF on many occasions – indeed, we’ve blogged about them before here and here — because the work they do is core to Scholastic’s mission. Giving kids a book of their own to keep is a crucial step in inspiring them to dream and live big – and with more and more families unable to afford books for their kids, I have to wonder, is now the time when we should be cutting literacy funding?

If you’re interested in hearing more about RIF and the work they do, check out this video of Carol Rasco, RIF’s President and CEO, speaking to Fox News this week.  There’s also this summary of the new legislation and what it means from Mediabistro. And, check out RIF’s Facebook page for the latest news each day.

Teachers and librarians, what are the effects of poverty in your schools? Have you noticed a change in recent years?