Paint by Numbers
By Albert B. Kelly
If you’re of a certain
age, you probably remember doing “paint by numbers” at some point growing up.
Paint by numbers kits came
with several detailed drawings divided into sections with a number in each
section corresponding to a color- the idea was to match a color to its numbered
section so that when you finished applying paint, you had a half decent picture.
When it comes to
considering Bridgeton’s future, what we do, based on the numbers, will go a
long way to determining what kind of picture we get. Numbers tell us things-
where we stand, who we are, things we need to consider.
Bridgeton’s population is
trending younger. As we head toward the homestretch on the path to the 2020
census, this little mini bulge in the 5-9 year-old range will follow as the
10-14 and 15-19 year-old contingents graduate on to adulthood.
What does this mean for
us? At first glance it means a focus on education, child care, good nutrition,
recreation, youth programs and other services that, in the short term, will
require resources. But look a little deeper, and you also see an opportunity to
change the direction of our community in some impactful ways.
But it starts with the
numbers. In the 2011-12 academic year, Bridgeton’s graduation rate was 67% with
a dropout rate of 2.7%. In the 2012-2013 cycle, those numbers were 68% and 7%
and for the 2013-2014 cycle, the graduation rate was 71% and the dropout 3%.
Before we sniff too hard
at the numbers, it helps to remember that in 2014, 41.2% of families with
children under 18 in Bridgeton were living below the poverty line. Our
educators are working hard to improve the numbers and generally they are
improving year over year, but economic and financial instability are tough
currents to swim against- they do a good job
Scratching a little
deeper, the number of households in Bridgeton receiving cash public assistance
in 2014 was 594. As far as food stamps (SNAP) the number of Bridgeton families
on SNAP in 2014 was 1,839. In context, the number of family’s County-wide
getting cash public assistance in 2014 was 2,754; in Vineland and Millville it was
886 and 673 respectively. 8,798 received SNAP benefits County-wide with Millville
at 1,626 families and Vineland at 3,792 families.
It’s hard to excel
academically when you’re living with scarcity and instability. But improving
the numbers has a direct bearing on the future of our community. There’s a bit
of the chicken or the egg thing; which comes first lowering poverty in order to
see graduation/dropout rates improve or improving rates as a way of lowering
poverty?
Honestly, I think we have
to work both at the same time. Whatever can be done to lower poverty and
scarcity for families must be done not just for today, but for longer term
economic growth- helping today’s children be the trained and capable workforce
of tomorrow.
It can’t just be at the
margins though. For example, in Language Arts Proficiency, the state number
came in at 93% for the 2013-2014 school year. Bridgeton came in at 83%. In
math, the state number for that same period was 79% and we came in at 62%. The
State SAT average score was 1514- Bridgeton came in at 1178.
That’s why this window of
time is so critical- the 5-9 year-old “mini-bulge” is part of where and how we change
the future. That’s why such areas as STEM,
teaching our youngsters the technologies of the future has everything to
do with what and how we’ll be in the
next 5-10 years.
Some might view a focus on
these areas (i.e. student performance) as somehow separate or unconnected to
other important priorities at the local level such as growth and development,
business retention, and job creation; as if these things were mutually
exclusive. They are not.
That’s not to say that any
area should be neglected or short changed because it all matters. But it’s the
difference between a top down approach and a bottom up approach. There is what
we do now, but there’s also what we have to do in anticipation of five years or
even 10 years out.
Like any paint by numbers
picture, these numbers tell us where to apply the colors. While it’s happening,
the final picture might not be clear but when it’s finished, we will no doubt
have something worth framing and hanging…and even admiring.