IT'S TRUE: Low-income students now make up the majority in US public schools. The sobering statistics come from the South Education Foundation, which pulled the latest data from the National Center for Education Statistics. Overall, “51 percent of the students across the nation’s public schools were low income in 2013.” Mississippi topped the unenviable list with 71 percent, followed by New Mexico (68) and Louisiana (65).
Forget the tech for a second. Sonya Romero-Smith, a teacher of 19 years in Albuquerque, describes to The Washington Post how she has to play the roles of “counselor, therapist, doctor, parent, attorney” to make sure her students’ basic needs are met. Carey Wright, superintendent of education in Mississippi, also pointed a harsh reality: “You can’t assume [students] have books at home, or they visit the library or go on vacations."
