Kate Fitzpatrick
Professor of Music and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, School of Music
Education & Opportunity
Education, poverty, and socioeconomic mobility are closely linked. Children who grow up in families with low-incomes face more barriers to education than those that don’t – they attend under-resourced schools segregated by income and race, have fewer opportunities for enrichment, and struggle to pay for higher education. These inequities are rooted in both historical and current housing policies that segregate neighborhoods by class and race; school funding policies that result in more resources for wealthy school districts; and a system of higher education that was never designed to provide opportunity for all.
Despite these structural barriers, research has shown that education is a key stepping stone that can help individuals and families move out of poverty. Poverty Solutions and our affiliated scholars and partners work to reduce and help students overcome these obstacles,expanding educational opportunities so that all children have access to high-quality education and a better life.
