SL School District: Half of Students Live in Poverty

None by KCPW

After-School Tutoring Slows Drop-Out Rate

(KCPW News) Salt Lake School District says half its students live in poverty.

Those students are more likely to fall behind in the classroom, drop out and fail assessment exams, says Patrick Garcia, director of human resources for Salt Lake District. He adds: "It really talks to the opportunity children have had and the exposure the children have had coming into schools," he says.

Kids living in poverty move more frequently and spend less time reading with parents, says Garcia. That makes for a steep learning curve in the classroom. The key is to start to intervene early so kids don't have to catch up later, and then ultimately may go to college. "The focus aught to be not K-12, but K-16, so that notion is out there for kids to go onto higher ed, beyond the high school years," he says.

The district offers after-school tutoring programs to slow the drop-out rate. For more on those and other programs, contact the Salt Lake School District at (801) 578-8599.

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