Paton Reduced Lunch Case Study

According to the Iowa Department of Education website, there are 200 students attending the Paton-Churdan K-12 School in the 2016-2017 school year. Paton-Churdan is located in the small, rural town of Churdan, about 13 miles north of Jefferson. Of the 200 students, about 3.5% are Hispanic, 5.5% are multiracial, and 1.5% is Asian, making Caucasian the largest group at 89.5%. In looking at these percentages, it is easy to see that we do not fit into the idea of a diverse culture. However, we do have a large group of students who are found on the Free and Reduced Lunch program. There are 92 students who qualify for this program, close to half of the student population. According to the Iowa State University-Iowa School District Profiles, during
We have many families who need assistance in areas not related to education. Their children come to school hungry, dirty, and unprepared. Some students even use the facilities to shower because they do not have running water. It becomes difficult to focus on education when our school has to “provide breakfasts and lunches, help families find housing and health care...the effects of untreated physical and mental illness, and the large gaps in children’s readiness that exist at entry to school” (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Sometimes it’s enough that the students made it to school, and we do our best to meet those basic
Our student ethnic population is very heavy Caucasian, as some urban schools are heavy African American and Latino, offering limited experiences to interact with multiple perspectives. In order for students to have equal opportunities “there must be a large variety of shared undertakings and experiences” because “the influences which educate some into masters educate others into slaves” (Darling-Hammond, 2010). Without these varied experiences, our students might be prevented from becoming active participants in their lives and school. To become an active citizen in our society, our students must have access to multiple perspectives in order to understand the world around them. Teaching in a school with limited experiences forces our teachers to really think of ways to bring varying perspectives into their