(First in a five-part series)

As we watch both the national and Arkansas economies struggle out of the recession, many of us wonder what we can do to protect our communities and working families from a future crisis of this magnitude. One crucial solution arises: develop and maintain an education system that allows all Arkansas children to succeed in school and, in turn, to succeed as adults in the workforce.

This may sound simple but it’s not. Low-income and minority students are more likely to struggle academically than their wealthier and white counterparts. This is called the achievement gap. By falling behind academically, these vulnerable students will continue to struggle as adults.

This blog post series will examine the factors that cause and maintain the achievement gap broken down into the categories of schools, family and community, and health. It will also discuss some proven solutions to making sure that more children succeed in the educational system by making the best of use of educational funding and programs that help students make better progress toward educational success.

For more information on the achievement gap: “What is Arkansas Doing to Close the Achievement Gap?”

Click here for more information on the impact poverty has on children.