Most Metro Students Live In Poverty

from WTVF

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - More than half of the students enrolled in Nashville's public schools live in poverty.

School officials said the number has steadily increased.

In response, Metro Schools has several programs designed to deal with some of the issues students face at home.

Administrators said the district is headed in the right direction.

"I've always enjoyed working with children," said Crisma Carter, a teacher for the past three years at Buena Vista Elementary School.

She said she knew it was her calling. She said she's always wanted to make a difference in the lives of youngsters.

Carter's school is recognized as one of the best in Metro.

Principal Debra Smith attributes it to supportive parents.

Smith said her many of students strive despite financial hardships at home.

"Just because the students are economically disadvantaged it doesn't mean that they can't learn," she said.

Administrators across the district are fighting the same problem.

Nearly 65 percent of students in the school district live in poverty. That number is an increase from last year.

"Principals and teachers and guidance counselors face this issue every morning," said James Briggs, director of the office of redesign and innovations for Metro schools

Briggs' department develops programs such as Small-Learning Communities and Big Picture Schools aimed at keeping students on the right track.

"What that does is you lose less and less kids fall through the cracks," he said.

It appears to be working. Test scores and the graduation rates are climbing despite the financial woes of many families.

Carter said it's a shining example to students that they can be successful regardless of economic background.

"What I try to instill in all of them is that as long as they try we can do it," she said. "As long as they're willing to put forth that effort we can do it."

How does the district determine which families fall below the poverty line?

School officials do not use a set number. The school system uses a sliding scale that depends on a family's income and the number of children they have in the district.

Administrators also point to the increase of foreign students into the district for the increase.