Education-related quotes from:
Poverty: ending the cycle
A 36-year study by Concordia University looks at the cycle of poverty through three generations of Montrealers
The third generation, growing up right now in this technological society, has no bright future without high school, Serbin says.
“Lack of education causes huge barriers, and these kids have a lot farther to go than others,” she says, “because they come from backgrounds with little education and stimulation.”
So is it any wonder that the dropout rate isn’t budging? Serbin asks.
“(Premier Jean) Charest talks about parents providing support, which is great. But how do you enable parents to do that?”
We need to teach parents the skills and offer them programs and support, so they in turn can support their children academically, she says. If poverty places parents in acute stress, how is it possible for them to help their children without outside support?
From DSC:
To me, this begins to get at the heart of the matter of education reform — helping develop stable, solid families with parents that actively support the education of their children.
It’s tough — if one was never taught the importance of education, how does one acquire that perspective? We need to help parents build a respect for education. But I realize that when a person is out there just trying to get by at all, it’s hard to worry about education. That’s why next year, I hope to begin offering a program on developing digital literacy to those children who come out of a background of significant need. I want to help them identify, develop and use their passions.