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Spartanburg County Residents in Poverty
In SAM Preface, we identified “household income” as the major “cross-cutting” indicator interfering with children’s academic progress.
According to the most recent U.S. census data, 15.8% of the nation’s population had incomes below the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). In Spartanburg County, 19.1% lived below the FPL, while 28.5% of the county’s children under age 18 lived below the FPL.
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19.9% 14%
19.1% 14.7%
Children
Residents
28.2% 28.6% 28.5%
26% 17.1% 19.5% 20% 19.1%
Spartanburg Academic Movement SAM Chapter 1, 2015
A Purple Problem
“In our increasingly ‘red’ versus ‘blue’ America, [the opportunity gap] is the ultimate ‘purple’ problem. Some causes are seen more clearly through the ‘red’ conservative lenses, while others are accentuated by ‘blue’ lenses. Our civic leaders will need to reach across boundaries of party and ideology if we are to offer more opportunity to all our children. In addressing the opportunity gap, we must consider the full spectrum of potential solutions.”
Putnam, pp. 242-3
