Scorecard Video Blog: Tackling Poverty through Schools

Continuing our Scorecard video blog series, Larry James, CEO of CitySquare, discusses the pervasive presence of poverty, which leaves a crippling effect on our community. Between 2000 and 2012 the population of the city of Dallas grew by a modest 5%. During the same period, however, the number of individuals living in poverty grew by 41% and the number of census tracts experiencing concentrated poverty nearly doubled. Currently, almost 9 out of 10 Dallas ISD students, or 3 out of 4 Dallas County students, receive free and reduced meals at school.

James urges us to reimagine the role of schools in our community. He envisions a Dallas where parents, families, and entire neighborhoods are engaged in the improvement and reinvention of their children’s schools so much so that schools become a “safe harbor of hope for all of our families.” Ultimately, James challenges us to tackle poverty by reimagining schools as the foundations for our community support structures.