December 7th, 2010
Meanwhile, Alabama’s biggest obstacle to economic development is low educational attainment,reports the Southern Education Foundation.
We know that low educational attainment is linked to high rates of poverty. In Alabama, over 1 in 4 high school dropouts live below the federal poverty line, and 1 in 7 of high school graduates who lack a college degree live in poverty.
The story is much more positive for college graduates. Only 3.4 percent of Alabamians with a college degree live in poverty, and college graduates bring over $1 million in spending power back to their communities.
Our partner Alex Steinmiller (pictured above) gets it. As director of Holy Family Cristo Rey high school in Ensley, he oversees a program where each student participates in a paid corporate internship during high school. Each of his students comes from a household living below the poverty line, and every graduate of the program has gone on to be accepted to college.
Father Alex connected with us at our Lifetime of Learning Conference and at our recent Alabama Possible Summit. “I see our college prep and workforce development programs as part of our response to poverty,” he says. Read more about Father Alex here.
How does the Alabama Poverty Project promote educational attainment?
- Our Higher Education Alliance increases college access in low-wealth communities, promotes student retention and engages students in partnerships with local communities.
- Our Blueprints College Access Initiative connects college mentors with high school students in low-wealth communities to promote educational attainment.
- Our partners promote Service-Learning to engage college students in community service and partnerships with low-wealth communities.
Your gift makes a big difference. As the year ends, we are still facing a budget shortfall of $3,447. Can you give?
Your tax-deductible gift will enable us to continue our work mobilizing Alabamians to eliminate poverty.
Thank you for your continued support. With your help and partnership, it is possible to end poverty in Alabama.
-Track our fundraising progress at alabamapossible.org/fundraiser