Question for person connected to developers, but worried about academic achievement gap
Dear Anthony D. Galluccio: Massachusetts had the greatest increase of homeless people in the nation from 2017 to 2018.Children are part of the fastest-growing population (families and elders). I am sure you are aware of the effects of homelessness on a student’s life. Homelessness status is one of the greatest contributors to the achievement gap you write about (“If you want to close school achievement gap and address race, class inequity, start here,” Jan. 13, 2020).
As someone connected to the forces contributing to this trend, how about nine points about what future development projects can do to slow or stop this?
Leigh Hardy, Just a kid from Cambridge
Why 9 points? Seems arbitrary. How about 12 or 3.
Anthony has longed cared about this community. He has done more for children and the poor from Cambridge to the Dominican Republic in one year then most people do in 2 lifetimes. Why didn’t you ask your questions in his initial letter in Cambridge Day or is there a different agenda?
Leigh Hardy is right that homelessness and housing issues negatively impact a student’s ability to succeed, and therefore worsen the achievement gap. And Leigh is right that Anthony Galluccio did not address this concern in his interesting op-ed. Leigh is making the connection between the large development projects that Anthony Galluccio represents, and that Leigh says contribute toward increased homelessness.
As to why nine points, that’s because Galluccio had nine points in his op-ed. I’m interested in his reply.