Alice Goffman's fieldwork in a struggling Philadelphia neighborhood sheds harsh light on a justice system that creates suspects rather than citizens.
Impact University
"It's vital that students step outside their immediate world and learn about poverty through various lenses -- that's how we will see measurable change for our most pressing struggles." -Sarah Louise Adamczyk, President (2018-2019)
Topics
- Behavioral Economics/Psychology
- Civic Engagement/ Demographics
- Criminal Justice
- Early Childhood
- Economics of Poverty
- Education
- Faith and Poverty
- Healthcare
- Media and the Press
- Nonprofits/Social Entrepreneurship
- Portraits of Poverty
- Predatory Financial Practices
- Public Policy
- Race
- Stories from the Line
- Tax and Economic Policy
Featured Talks
Sugata Mitra makes his bold TED Prize wish: help design the School in the Cloud, a learning lab in India, where children can explore and learn from each other — using resources and mentoring from the cloud. Hear his inspiring vision for Self Organized Learning Environments.
Geoffrey Canada has spent decades as head of the Harlem Children's Zone, which supports kids from birth through college in order to break the cycle of poverty.
We traditionally think of the story of David and Goliath as the victory of a sly underdog over the might of a brutish champion. It turns out the tale has another piece of wisdom to offer on the nature of ‘giants,' strength, and weakness.
Articles
The Cost of Keeping Children Poor
Dr. Rank, Mark (2018-04-15, The New York Times): For each dollar spent on reducing childhood poverty, the United States would save at least $7, research shows.
- View All
- Early Childhood
- Education
- Criminal Justice
- Healthcare
- Public Policy
- Race
- Faith and Poverty
- Behavioral Economics/Psychology
- Economics of Poverty
- Nonprofits/Social Entrepreneurship
- Portraits of Poverty
- Stories from the Line
- Civic Engagement/ Demographics
- Predatory Financial Practices
- Tax and Economic Policy
- Media and the Press
Podcasts & Radio
The Problem We All Live With
Hannah-Jones, Nikole. (2015-07-31, This American Life): Nikole Hannah-Jones looks at a district that, not long ago, accidentally launched a desegregation program.
Utah Reduced Chronic Homelessness By 91 Percent; Here’s How
A decade ago, Utah set itself an ambitious goal: end chronic homelessness. As of 2015, the state can just about declare victory: The population of chronically homeless people has dropped by 91 percent.
The Problem We All Live With (Part 2)
In Part 1, This American Life looked at a school district integrating by accident. In Part 2: a city going all out to integrate its schools. Plus, a girl who comes up with her own one-woman integration plan.
The Problem We All Live With (Part 1)
Right now, all sorts of people are trying to rethink and reinvent education, to get poor minority kids performing as well as white kids. But there's one thing nobody tries anymore, despite lots of evidence that it works: desegregation. Nikole Hannah-Jones looks at a district that, not long ago, accidentally launched a desegregation program. First of a two-part series.
Contemporary Books
Under the Affluence
In Under the Affluence, author Tim Wise discusses economic inequality and the demonization of those in need. He reminds us that there was a time when the hardship of fellow Americans stirred feelings of sympathy, solidarity for struggling families, and support for policies and programs meant to alleviate poverty. Today, however, mainstream discourse blames people with low income for their own situation, and the notion of an intractable "culture of poverty" has pushed our country in an especially ugly direction.
Degrees of Inequality
By abandoning their commitment to students, politicians are imperiling our highest ideals as a nation. Degrees of Inequality offers an impassioned call to reform a higher education system that has come to exacerbate, rather than mitigate, socioeconomic inequality in America.
Helping Children Succeed
What should we do to improve the lives of children growing up in adversity? From the best-selling author of How Children Succeed, a handbook to guide readers through the new science of success.
Websites
Nonprofits/Social Entrepreneurship
Institute for Research on Poverty
The Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is dedicated to advancing understanding of the causes and consequences of U.S. poverty and inequality. It collects and analyzes information, continually updated from state and national data and special-purpose studies, on the evolving condition of low-income individuals and families and policies and programs to improve their well-being and increase self-sufficiency.
National Partnership for Women and Families
The National Partnership for Women & Families (NPWF) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization located in Washington, D.C., which promote fairness in the workplace, reproductive health and rights, access to quality, affordable health care, and policies that help women and men meet the dual demands of work and family.
Alliance for Early Success
The Alliance for Early Success is a catalyst for bringing state, national, and funding partners together to improve state policies for children, starting at birth and continuing through age eight.
Child Trends
Child Trends is a nonprofit, nonpartisan research center that provides valuable information and insights on the well-being of children and youth.
Syllabi
Interested in having this course taught at your institution? Contact Us.
Featured Films
This award-winning documentary delves into the legendary chess team of Intermediate School 318 in Brooklyn, New York. Students of diverse backgrounds are challenged by the the game, their opponents, and the massive budget cuts to after-school activities. Each success is hard-earned, and the students of the chess team use their determination and skills to propel them into high school and beyond.
Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim follows a handful of young, hopeful students as they navigate the complexities of a changing educational landscape. Through these nuanced portraits, Guggenheim offers a radical review and critique of the inevitabilities of certain education policies and how we can, and must, reform the system.
Noted economic policy expert Robert Reich takes on the enormous issue of widening income inequality and explores what effects this increasing gap has not only on our economy but our democracy itself.
50 Million Americans—1 in 4 children—don't know where their next meal is coming from. A Place at the Table tells the powerful stories of three such Americans, who maintain their dignity even as they struggle just to eat.
Impact America is an AmeriCorps Program.
