'Poverty & Despair versus Education & Opportunity' addresses the many impacts of residence within the arena of poverty. This particular arena is multi-layered and consists of more-much more- than that level of poverty defined by income. It also includes those that are 'marginally' poor by virtue of the many dimensions of 'poverty', 'extreme poverty' or 'deep poverty'. Those impacts, i.e., the 'outcomes' of poverty at any level are many; at first glance, most of these 'outcomes' are considered as unfortunate circumstances and really not dollar related. However, this book brings into sharp focus that each of these 'outcomes' inflict an immeasurable cost both in terms of dollars; It is important to note that there is a growing list of 'intangible' outcomes e.g., a degradation of the humanity of so many, loss of opportunity and the inevitable result of a loss in their quality of life. Each of these 'intangible' outcomes of poverty and more also carry the cost of dollars. Together, the benchmark of income as a 'cost' and the far greater 'costs' associated with the 'intangible' outcomes - has, over the years and decades has resulted in an unsustainable burden on the national resource of dollars; the poverty-induced spectrum of inequalities has put on an equally unsustainable burden of those who live in poverty. In effect, there have been many millions of Americans over the years who have been denied what is readily available and enjoyed by most Americans..... but not all!

This very sad situation has existed for decade after decade after decade and, of late, grows steadily worse. The situation has been enabled and sustained by a lack of awareness. compassion and corrective actions by many of those who live beyond the virtual walls of poverty. It is increasingly obvious that some of those with authority, responsibility and resources are readily attracted to other areas of activity while paying verbiage, if any at all, to the victims of poverty in America. This lack of political will, this lack of awareness, this lack of acknowledgement a lack of and action certainly infers and translates to a convenient strategy of denial. However, there are those who do 'work in the trenches' daily in outstanding efforts and commitment to 'make a difference' for those living in poverty. These wonderful souls and spirits are like 'David' versus the 'Goliath' of poverty and its many inequalities. There are also many government - national, state, local - programs, while providing relief in the short term, that expend time, budget and energy often are addressing the 'symptoms' of the core problem rather than the core problem itself. With budgets at all levels of government becoming more and more challenged and limited, it is almost beyond common sense that the initial budget 'cuts' are usually applied to those programs and people that are in the greatest need.

Without question or compromise, this situation is unfair, undeserved, unnecessary and very unacceptable . . . . . and very unsustainable!

'Poverty & Despair versus Education & Opportunity' also addresses the growing spectrum of steadily increasing costs, e.g., dollars, humanity, quality of life, opportunity et al, those strategies of limited effectiveness and life, aka 'piecemeal' and 'band-aid' solutions that really serve more to sustain this unacceptable situation rather than serving to significantly reduce/eliminate the spectrum and lifetimes of poverty-derived inequalities. Particular attention and analysis focuses upon the impact of these inequalities upon the full spectrum of education: the single arena that offers the most hope and promise of a level-playing field for all Americans. The authors have brought forward for consideration some 'food for thought' with respect to candidate strategies directed to the reduction/elimination of inequalities and their collateral cost to humanity and to the needs of the nation. The road to feasible, realizable and effective 'solutions' is to understand the complexity and convolution of the nation's many arenas of deeply-entrenched poverty. This understanding is very likely achievable via a [1] comprehensive, aka 'systemic', identification and acknowledgement of the many factors -and their linkages-that are derivatives of poverty and [2] the growing enormity of their collateral, unsustainable costs.

'Poverty & Despair versus Education & Opportunity' brings some light and common sense to the steadily growing-and soon to be very untenable multidimensional costs of poverty. There is an option-a choice-to place time, energy and resource efforts for the reduction of the spectrum of inequalities and the enormous spectrum of life costs both for the individual living in poverty and for society as a whole. The authors propose that a 'systemic' landscape may very well yield options to the current strategies and mindsets that sustain the unfair, underserved, unnecessary and unacceptable status quo.

"In their own words"

Introductions by Grace Diaz and William Colleran.

Website Features and Goals

• Enable awareness and acknowledgement of POVERTY that is unfair, undeserved, unnecessary and unacceptable.
• The still continuing growth of poverty inflicts an unsustainable cost in dollars, opportunity and the quality of life.
• This growing-and unsustainable-cost is seriously amplified by the spectrum of poverty-induced inequalities.
• Why does poverty still exist and continue to grow?
• Poverty has a catastrophic effect upon the educational arena.
• Yet, relief of poverty lies in the educational arena.
• What can be done? What should be done?
• Give some thought to a foundational, systemic methodology so necessary for the development of candidate solutions.
• Consider this user-friendly navigational capability for an experiential journey through the valley of poverty and its immeasurable costs to all Americans.

Poverty-Inequalities.com is a companion and complement to 'Poverty & Despair versus Education & Opportunity as well as its genesis, inspiration and motivation for 'Let's Start with the Children'. The latter book asks the question "Why?" wrt the persistence of [and still rising] poverty The book complement and companion to this website provides a comprehensive and incisive look into the sad arena of poverty and its immeasurable costs in dollars, opportunity and humanity and a still continuing degradation over decades of the humanity and quality of life of those living in poverty. This book is intended to raise the awareness, recognition and acknowledgement of a sad chapter-indeed-many chapters-of this unfair, undeserved, unnecessary and unacceptable situation. Simply put, this situation is a shameful antithesis of the long-recognized and greatly-valued principles, spirit and moral fiber of America.

Poverty and its many factors, its spectrum of costs and innate culture, by all measures, is clearly and abundantly unacceptable despite denials, avoidance, fear, reluctance, lack of leadership and political will et al by so many but not all.

Can something be done? Common sense and the historical cries, if nothing else, mandate that "something must be done" to avoid a lasting and inevitable and lasting damage to the story of America and its citizens of today and tomorrow and to America's continuing story: a continuing experiment in true democracy!

The challenge of 'doing something' to reverse the growing inequalities driven by poverty and enabled by a lack of compassion, awareness, acknowledgement and commitment is a formidable task...like so many that are a part of the growth of America...but were also challenged, embraced and resolved. The necessary preamble to candidate 'solutions' begins with [1] a firm and realistic understanding of the genesis, history and development of this complicated and convoluted situation, [2] the development of candidate 'solutions' based on a systemic-based methodology and [3] an orderly transition to site-specific pilot projects that will establish credible measures and feasibility of total costs, benefits,...of these candidate 'solutions' and a 'workbook' that is a model for application to and guidance through the many areas of poverty across America.

'Poverty & Despair versus Education & Opportunity" provides the initial, but very necessary, insight into the many dimensions of poverty and the wide spectrum of growing educational requirements that reflect the growing educational populations. Most importantly, are the 'linkage' amongst these many dimensions. In book form, this insight is necessary but not sufficient as an 'understanding and awareness' tool for the complicated and convoluted dynamics of poverty. Poverty-Inequalities.com fulfills this sufficiency with its inherent ease of navigation [and search] responsive to the needs and interests of a wide spectrum of users. The individual user shapes his/her journey; that navigation enables the user to become abundantly aware that-for the user's area of interest within the poverty and educational arenas-there are an unexpected number of linkages that must be brought into play to best determine, analyze and achieve a more realistic, and credible, knowledge and understanding of the initial area of interest. It is truly a journey through the valley of poverty and education. This navigation capability through the realities of poverty and education culminate with the merger of the poverty and education realities into a cost model that clearly demonstrates the inevitable unsustainable and constantly increasing poverty-driven costs .The journey of the individual user shapes the journey via the network of linkages, keywords, definitions and selected references representative of the rich literature generated over many decades. This website also provides an audit trail of the user-shaped journey of the individual user.

This user friendly navigational capability enables the formulation of requirements for candidate 'solutions' based upon knowledge, understanding and reality.

Users are invited and enabled to enter their observations, opinions, insights and relevant comments as well as questions and/or topics for both authors' and users' responses. Again, this website, Poverty-Inequalities.com is designed to be a sounding board for all and a tool for understanding-and, hopefully, acknowledging, the realities of poverty and its outcomes with so many unfair, underserved, unnecessary and unacceptable inequalities, especially in the educational arena. The representation, i.e., he model of poverty, coupled with relevant inputs from users, also yields a 'living' model with the passage of time. Pilot models coupled with scenario-and site-dependent metrics for the assessment of potential plans, programs and strategies become possible with this 'living model'

Website use and effectiveness mandate rigorous maintenance and updating requirements and is recognized and acknowledged as crucial for users. The website designers, developers and managers are fully committed to this mandate.

Costs

TOTAL POVERTY COSTS = [DOLLAR COSTS] + [COLLATERAL COSTS TO HUMANITY]

DOLLAR COSTS

Liberals want poverty addressed because it is the humane thing to do. Here's why conservatives might want to read this book: the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates the costs of unaddressed childhood trauma, mostly attributable to growing up in poverty, costs the U.S. $103,700,000,000 annually - that is billions.

A McKinsey & Company report, The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools [2009], finds closing the U.S. educational gap to the same levels as Finland and Korea would raise the Gross Disposable Product by from $1,300,000,000,000 to $2,3000,000,000,000, - yes, that is trillions!

Leading Pre-K-3 Learning Communities, a guide published by the National Association of Elementary Principals [2014] suggests a $20 investment [and it is important to consider education expenditures as investments] generates a $9.63 in education and $3.65 in welfare savings and $18.57 in additional taxes which represents a 150% return on investment [ROI]. But, in addition, there is an astounding $226.13 in crime and punishment savings. That is, in total, a 1290% return on investment.

Fixing poverty in the short term is extremely complex as this book will attest. Guaranteeing children the education needed to escape the ties of poverty is a doable, long term approach to reducing poverty in America and all of poverty's associated costs and lost opportunities.

Poverty is a cancer on the American way of life. If there is one cure for this cancer, it is education!

HUMANITARIAN COSTS

The spectrum of poverty-induced inequalities addressed in this book and highlighted in Figure 9, e.g., education, health, housing, unemployment, lack of opportunity [afforded to so many Americans], an uneven legal and justice systems et al have a continuing maintenance cost in dollars. However, there are also collateral damage costs to the humanity and quality of life [as noted above] for those living in poverty. The elimination of poverty will directly eliminate this collateral damage!

WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?

Considering that the total costs of poverty are [1] unsustainable and steadily increasing and [2] are costs to all Americans, the target populations are many: the Congress, Federal and State educational entities, i.e., the planners, strategists, administrators et al, university and college educational and social policy programs, social policy makers, corporate and educational partnerships, social services providers, health care providers, legal and justice systems' administrators and reformers, prime movers and initiators...the common bond and requirement among these populations include experiential expertise, responsibility, authority, accountability, an understanding of the poverty arena, compassion and a demonstrated goal-oriented leadership and commitment to ending poverty!