In the MDGs and You course we were assigned to do a local profile examining ways the Millennium Development Goals ( The MDGs are 8 goals that most affect the world that the United Nations is trying to accomplish) is being achieved in Chicago. I believe that access to basic education lies at the heart of a nation’s development. Lack of educational access lowers a country’s economic power. I was assigned to complete a local profile on access to education in Chicago. The purpose of this assignment was to raise awareness of the MDGs’ goals being accomplished in Chicago. For this action project we had to conduct an interview with a local expert, create a graph, and research an article. I created a graph based on statistics from Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools showing the relationship between poverty and ISAT test scores in Chicago’s 25 highest scoring and 25 lowest scoring elementary schools. In my graph poverty is determined by the amount of students receiving free or reduced lunch. The results of this research were shocking. Based on the statistics from my graph all the schools with low poverty levels had higher ISAT scores. In my opinion many minority kids are not getting the education they need to succeed. My experiences have taught me that in schools that are in poor areas people have low expectations for their students. I am very satisfied with the way my graph came about and extremely proud of what I have accomplished. I learned that education is a pivotal resource in relation to the development or success of someone. It is clear that Chicago is not assuring equal access to good education for all children, especially those with low incomes.
This is a link for my Action Project 1