Increasing student poverty in schools - Benjamin Lanka, CentralOhio.com

Since the start of the recession, schools across Ohio have faced more children struggling with poverty at home. Statistics recently released by the U.S. Census Bureau showed roughly 21 percent of all school-age children living with families were in poverty last year, a jump from less than 16 percent in 2007. For many districts, the increase in poverty was much worse. Sixty districts saw jumps of at least 10 percentage points, and many saw the proportion of children in poverty double in those five years. Rising poverty presents challenges to educators who must handle children who might not see the doctor when sick or get full meals at home, according to Aimee Howley, associate dean of education at Ohio University. In some cases, she notes those students might not have received prenatal care http://www.thenews-messenger.com/article/20121224/NEWS01/312240009/Increasing-student-poverty-schools