Schools Matter, But Only So Much

San Diego Union-Tribune -- Paula Cordeiro is dean of the School of Leadership and Education Sciences at the University of San Diego. She is a member of the U-T Community Editorial Board.

Of the nearly 7 billion people on our planet, about 2.2 billion are children, with 1 billion living in poverty. According to the National Poverty Center, children represent a disproportionate share of the poor in the United States; they are one-quarter of the total population, but 35 percent of our poor. The domestic child poverty rate has been increasing since 2000, and recent research by the Annie E. Casey Foundation found that low-income children suffer academically and socially long after their parents have recovered from a recession. (Full Story)