The majority of students in K thru 12 are now living in low income according to a new report from the Southern Education Foundation. The data was collected by the NCES (National Center of Education Statistics.) 

 http://www.southerneducation.org/Our-Strategies/Research-and-Publications/New-Majority-Diverse-Majority-Report-Series/A-New-Majority-2015-Update-Low-Income-Students-Now 

 This has been building up for years. In 1989, it was less then 32%. Then in 2000, it reached 38%. Now, 51% of children are at a disadvantage. We can no longer ignore the reality of this for the future of our economy and society as a whole. Evie Blade a staff writer for Education Weekly in her article "New Milestone: Majority of Public School Students Now Considered Low Income" writes:

Schools have, of course, been confronted by the challenges of poverty for years, but crossing the majority threshold certainly creates a powerful conversation point in debates on the local, state, and federal levels about issues ranging from equity and accountability to student supports.

"That deepening poverty likely will complicate already fraught political discussions on how to educate American students, as prior research has shown students are significantly more at risk academically in schools with 40 percent or higher concentrations of poverty," Education Week wrote when it covered growing trends of poverty in 2013.

 Brookings reported in July, 2014  

The economically turbulent 2000s have redrawn America’s geography of poverty in more ways than one. After two downturns and subsequent recoveries that failed to reach down the economic ladder, the number of people living below the federal poverty line ($23,492 for a family of four in 2012) remains stubbornly stuck at record levels. Today, more of those residents live in suburbs than in big cities or rural communities, a significant shift compared to 2000, when the urban poor still outnumbered suburban residents living in poverty.

Brookings continue to point out:

 The challenges of poor neighborhoods—including worse health outcomes, higher crime rates, failing schools, and fewer job opportunities—make it that much harder for individuals and families to escape poverty and often perpetuate and entrench poverty across generations.2 These factors affect not only the residents and communities touched by concentrated disadvantage, but also the regions they inhabit and the ability of those metro areas to grow in inclusive and sustainable ways.

If you scroll down in this report there is an interactive map that you can get the statistics in an area near you.  

 http://www.brookings.edu/research/interactives/2014/concentrated-poverty#/M10420

Between 2000 and 2012 in distressed neighborhoods grew by 5 million people entering into poverty. This group is young families with children. Poverty has become more concentrated in these communities. The highest rates of children in poverty is in the south and south west of the country with Mississippi having the highest at 71%. This chart shows children poverty in all the states.

http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/5c53bd26-88c8-4ae2-b9ed-37a699956b1a/A-New-Majority-2015-Update-Low-Income-Students-Now.aspx

New York Times reports today:

The number of children eligible for subsidized lunches has probably increased in part because the federal Agriculture Department now allows schools with a majority of low-income students to offer free lunches to all students, regardless of whether they qualify on an individual basis or not.

Still, it is clear that public schools are educating higher numbers of low-income children, and the trend has been going on for much longer than the period that started with the most recent recession.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/17/us/school-poverty-study-southern-education-foundation.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0

Washington Post

“We’ve all known this was the trend, that we would get to a majority, but it’s here sooner rather than later,” said Michael A. Rebell of the Campaign for Educational Equity at Teachers College at Columbia University, noting that the poverty rate has been increasing even as the economy has improved. “A lot of people at the top are doing much better, but the people at the bottom are not doing better at all. Those are the people who have the most children and send their children to public school.”

 http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/majority-of-us-public-school-students-are-in-poverty/2015/01/15/df7171d0-9ce9-11e4-a7ee-526210d665b4_story.html

It is a real struggle for families with limited income to give their children the support they need in school.  These kids enter school with out everything they need.  There isn't money for music lessons or even the fees to pay for the school rent of a instrument.  Many middle schools and high schools post homework and reading materials on the internet instead of sending home a book. It is a struggle to maintain a internet connection when you have to depend on food banks and food stamps to feed the family.  This puts these kids at a disadvantage even if they have a laptop because they may not be able to get to a place that has open wifi.

Finding money to purchase supplies for required science and history fairs can leave the child at a disadvantage. I just recently went through this and ended up spending $70 on materials for a display board which was 50% of the child's grade for the semester. He told me that there were children that did not make one. I had to put time into it to help create the display. I am retired and can spend the time but what if I had been working 2 low paying jobs. He would not been able to put it together.  Now he needs black shoes and a outfit for the orchestra by February. He is in a concert. He is ready for a new pair of shoes so he is going to have to settle for black ones because I can't buy 2 pairs. 

On top of this, if the child has been successful enough to complete high school and attend college, they face the burden of a large loan that is unfair and continues to put them at a disadvantage as an adult.  

Why are we allowing our government to slash funding to schools?  Our schools need more funding to meet these challenges to serve these kids. We should be ashamed of our selves to put tax breaks before our kids future.  We have to invest in human resources for our society's future.