UCLA: Schools In Poorer Neighborhoods Hit Hardest By Budget Cuts
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles say disproportionately more poor neighborhoods have been impacted by the state's budget crisis than the more affluent areas of California.
The UCLA report released Monday by the Institute for Democracy, Education and Access surveyed almost 300 high school principals from across the state and painted a startlingly wider achievement gap between schools in poor and wealthy communities than previously established.
Principals report that cuts have stunted students' learning by shortening the school year, slashing summer school and after-school programs, increasing class sizes and reducing instructional materials.
Schools in low-income neighborhoods have been hit hardest as wealthier schools have been able to gather financial donations and pass on the cost for items such as field trips and athletics to parents.
The study says poorer schools, meanwhile, are coping with a rise in hungry and homeless students.
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