Rhode Island, Central Falls, Ethnic Diversity and School Performance

[Xipe Totec]

In the U.S., higher rates of poverty among immigrant families are mainly due to lower labor force participation among immigrant women than native-born women and to the low wages received by many immigrants. Many immigrant parents earn low wages because of low levels of educational attainment and limited English proficiency. Twenty-five percent of children in immigrant families in Rhode Island live in linguistically-isolated households.

In 2007 in Rhode Island, 74% of children under age 18 were White, 8% were Black or African American, 4% were Asian, 11% of children were identified as Some Other Race, and 4% as Two or More Races. Race was unknown for less than 1% of children in Rhode Island. In 2007, 18% of children living in Rhode Island were Hispanic.

Minority children are highly concentrated in the six core cities in Rhode Island. Core cities are defined as those cities in which 15% or more of the children live in poverty. More than half (58%) of children living in the core cities are minority children. More than three-quarters (78%) of all minority children in Rhode Island live in these six communities:

Providence, 76% minorities
Central Falls, 72% minorities
Pawtucket, 44% minorities
Woonsocket, 35% minorities
Cranston, 18% minorities

http://www.rikidscount.org/matriarch/documents/Racial%20and%20Ethnic%20Diversity%202009.pdf

It is interesting to compare these statistics against the school rankings in Rhode Island, particularly Central Falls...


High Schools:

http://www.psk12.com/rating/USthreeRsphp/STATE_RI_level_High_CountyID_0.html

All Schools:

http://www.psk12.com/rating/USindexphp/STATE_RI.html

Particularly noteworthy is Providence, which has both the highest ranked high school, and 8 of the 10 lowest ranked high schools in the state. The other two low ranking high schools are Central Falls and Cranston.

Now, I'm not a betting man, but I would wager that the top ranking high school in Providence is not located in one of the ethnic barrios.

Rhode Island has a serious problem here, and I don't think its the teachers.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. The immigrant moms I know don't work because they want to be stay at home moms

They have a strong sense of family and are very dedicated to their children. Many believe their only job is to be a mother. I find that admirable, especially in these difficult economic times.

[alstephenson]

6. LOL.

"immigrant moms don't work because they want to be stay at home moms". Yeah, right. How many "stay at home" immigrant moms do you know? If they can get work, they're working.

[proud2BlibKansan]

8. I know lots of them

My school has a nearly 100% immigrant population. And yes, the moms prefer to stay at home and be moms. The dads work, some of them have two or more jobs so Mom can stay home and take care of the kids.

Sorry if that doesn't fit your reality. Well not really sorry. But what I really want to say to you would be deleted by the mods.:)

[FBaggins]

15. Are they not also more likely to "show up" ?

(PTA/meetings/whatever)

[alstephenson]

16. Whatever.

I guess you are an expert on immigration now, too.

[Hannah Bell]

2. Yes: not to mention: Central Falls HS

•96% of students are eligible or free or reduced lunch

•65% of the student body is of Hispanic origin, 13% White, 14% African American, 8% other

•25% of students receive ESL services

•21% receive SPED services

•12% of parents have a post-secondary degree

•The total per student school expenditure was $11,798 (State 9,371)

•71.4% of students graduate

http://www.cfschools.net/Schools/High%20School%20Website/Pages/About%20CFHS.htm


70% of the population of central falls = renters

25.9% of families and 29.0% of the population were below the poverty line, 40.8% of those under age 18 and 29.3% of those age 65 or over.

[Xipe Totec]

3. The last time we had this level of segregation, the SCOTUS mandated busing

Granted, we don't have a Supreme Court anymore, but this is jarring.

[Hannah Bell]

4. i don't know ri, but this community is about 1 mile square & has one of the highest pop densities in

the country.

mostly rentals, very poor -- yet UE rate not much higher than national: 13%.

= low-wage gerrymandered ghetto whose workers serve surrounding wealthier areas.

[Xipe Totec]

5. The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations,

is the full name of the state.

Kinda fits, doesn't it?

[Hannah Bell]

7. yep.

For more than 75 years, Rhode Island ruled the American slave trade.

On sloops and ships called Endeavor, Success and Wheel of Fortune, slave captains made more than 1,000 voyages to Africa from 1725 to 1807. They chained their human cargo and forced more than 100,000 men, women and children into slavery in the West Indies, Havana and the American colonies.

The traffic was so lucrative that nearly half the ships that sailed to Africa did so after 1787 -- the year Rhode Island outlawed the trade.

http://www.projo.com/extra/2006/slavery/day1/


some of our most important americans got rich that way. & still are.

and those facts = directly related to what's happening to the students & teachers of central falls.

[kwassa]

17. John Brown, who established Brown University, made his money in the slave trade

though strongly opposed by his abolitionist brother Moses.

[Starry Messenger]

14. I found a link that shows some more stats

http://www.tuttlesvc.org/2010/03/central-falls-student-mobility-and.html

It's from a presentation at Central Falls High School, ironically enough.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Catshrink]

10. You sure you're in the right place?

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Bye!

Pepperoni?

[Xipe Totec]

13. Yessah, Massah, you is right, Massah. nt