January is Poverty in America Awareness Month. The current recession has created significant joblessness and resulting poverty unlike any other time since the Great Depression.
The increase in poverty due to the recession may give the impression that there wasn't a major problem prior to the recession. The U.S. is the richest country in the world; but our poverty level, as measured by family income, is higher than most other major industrial economies in the world, and has increased during the decade just ended.
A greater percentage of Americans were in poverty last year and more lost their insurance coverage last year because if the recession, according to data released by the Census Bureau.
The poverty rate in 2008 was 13.2 percent, compared with 12.5 percent in 2007, and the number of Americans rose to 46.3 million from 45.7 million the previous year.
The poverty rate increase was the largest since 2004 and is at its highest level since 1998.
The median household income declined 3 percent—from $52,163 to $50,303—following three consecutive years of increases.
According to the report, there were 87.4 million people covered by Medicaid and Medicare last year, compared with 83 million in 2007. That figure has increased during each of the last eight years.
Learning Activity
There are a variety of issues associated with poverty such as racism, lack of education, lack of healthcare, etc. SIRS Leading Issues provides a collection of these related issues that would be most appropriate for students to study during these troubled economic times.
Pathfinder
Click Visual Browse > Economics, Business, and Law > Economic Policy U.S.
Students should select one of the related issues listed (Unemployment, Poverty, Minimum Wage, or Welfare). Students will address the essential question for critical thinking about the issue from either a Pro or Con position and write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides that cites at least three resources.
Alternative Report/Presentation Ideas
SIRS Leading Issues also provides four unique models that students and teachers can use to report/present their conclusions.
These models are templates that correlate with the 5-step process and can be accessed in Step 5 of My Analysis.
