Southern schools swollen with poor kids

In 11 states, over half of students live in poverty

WASHINGTON - For the first time in more than 40 years, the majority of children in public schools in the South are poor, according to a report released today.

In 11 Southern states, a significant increase in the number of poor children attending public school has pushed their numbers above 50 percent of the student body. North Carolina comes close -- 49 percent of the state's schoolchildren live below the poverty line.

The increase has sent district officials scurrying for solutions on how to best educate kids who are coming from economically disadvantaged homes.

"The future of the South's ability to have an educated population is going to depend on how well we can improve these students' education," said Steve Suitts, a program coordinator with the Atlanta-based Southern Education Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on Southern educational issues and conducted the study...

...Also hitting the South disproportionately were federal cutbacks in anti-poverty programs, the region's higher rates of underemployment and the increased birthrates of Hispanic and African American children-who are statistically more likely than their white peers to be born into poverty....

This from the News & Observer.