The early causes and lasting impact of the education and knowledge gap

For their newly-published book, Giving Our Children A Fighting Chance, education researchers DONNA CELANO and SUSAN NEUMAN studied two Philadelphia neighborhoods — one in Chestnut Hill and the other in North Philadelphia — and found that children living in poverty have significantly less access to materials like books, magazines and computers that help them learn to read. They say it is this early disadvantage that follows children through the years and has serious implications for their economic prosperity and social mobility contributing to a cycle of poverty.  We’ve invited Donna Celano, assistant professor of Communications at LaSalle University, and Susan Neuman,  professor in Educational Studies at the University of Michigan, to talk about their work and what we can do to help children who live in poverty develop the skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

AP Photo/Hans Pennink