In today’s rundown: A look at education and neighborhoods in Montgomery County. | The impact of a new Early Childhood Center in Alexandria. | A decline in donations to the 400 largest charities in the nation. | And the new debate over the “culture of poverty.”
— A new Century Foundation report finds that sending students from low-income families to schools in wealthier neighborhoods may be better for student performance. The report, “Housing Policy is School Policy,” looks at Montgomery County’s inclusionary zoning rule, which says that housing developers have to set aside units for public housing.
— Early voting begins today in D.C. For details on how District resident can cast their ballots before November 2nd, please click here.
— A new Early Childhood Center in Alexandria will give preschoolers a chance to go to class in the same building where they’ll be in Kindergarten and first grade. The center is being offered by the public school system in Alexandria and is supposed to eliminate the achievement gap that some students face when they enter Kindergarten. Click here for details.
— The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that there was an 11 percent drop last year in donations to the country’s biggest charities. It was the worst decline the Chronicle has reported since it began ranking the 400 organizations that raise the most from private sources.
— What role does “culture” play in poverty? According to The New York Times, some “scholars are… conceding that culture and persistent poverty are enmeshed.” It’s an idea that has provoked emotional debate in the past.
