Closing The Gap Gives Back

Posted by admin on April 3, 2011 View Comments

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Closing The Gap gives back to children in The Dallas, TX Area.

Student Attendance

Posted by admin on January 24, 2011 View Comments

Student attendance can have a profound impact on student success.  Every second, minute, or hour of instructional time that is missed can lead to academic failure, low self esteem, and isolation.  Students arriving to school late, leaving early, or missing an entire day of school often have failing grades and time and time again feel overwhelmed by the massive amounts of make up work.  Some students would rather give up than make up the work; and once the road to failure begins students have less and less confidence in themselves or their work.  Lack of self confidence frequently leads to isolation and a sense of aloneness.

Part of the reason large numbers of  students miss school is due to a scarcity of resources.  Resources like school clothing and school supplies.  Closing The Gap strives to prevent academic failure, low self-esteem, and isolation in at-risk students by providing these students with necessities that will promote intellectual achievement, self assurance, and a sense of belonging.

Homeless Students

Posted by admin on January 2, 2011 View Comments

Nearly 1 million homeless students attended public schools in 2008-09 and that number continues to rise as the economic downfall lingers on causing more families to be displaced.   Academic success can often seem impossible for homeless students and the repercussions of an unstable home life can result in low self-esteem, academic failure, and possibly drop out.

When homeless students arrive in classrooms across the country many of them are not thinking about the lessons the teachers have prepared for the day.  Many are trying to catch up on sleep, others are anxiously awaiting lunch, and still others are concerned about what awaits them once the last bell of the school day rings.

All at-risk youth need a helping hand; however, homeless students may need a few helping hands.  Closing The Gap wants to be a helping hand to homeless students by providing them with school clothing and school supplies.

Closing The Gap Addresses The Obstacles Teachers and At-Risk Students Face Everyday

Posted by admin on December 22, 2010 View Comments

Closing The Gap addresses the obstacles teachers and at-risk students face everyday.  Student success is often hampered due to lack of  resources like school clothing and school supplies.  This video takes a look at many of the obstacles impacting student performance and what can be done to help.

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Students Are Crying Out For Help

Posted by admin on December 18, 2010 View Comments
Students are crying out for help and they have educators grasping for straws trying to figure out how to help them.  Every year new teachers enter the education profession ready to impart knowledge and help students embrace learning and experience success.  Little do they know just how difficult this task will be for them and for their students.  Just as new teachers enter the profession, there are equally as many teachers leaving the profession.  They leave because their job involves so much more than the 3 Rs.  A great deal of their time is spent dealing with unmotivated students who spend much of their class time exhibiting disruptive and disrespectful behavior.   New teachers are often left feeling defeated; and they begin to question rather or not they made the right career choice.  The new teachers don’t understand why students are not as excited about learning as they are.  Instead of entering a classroom filled with motivated, enthusiastic students, teachers are assigned to classrooms where students are cursing at teachers, throwing things, knocking over desk, hitting teachers, and much more.  Disruptive behavior has really gotten out of hand and administrators’ hands are tied.  At best, principals suspend students for such disruptive behavior, but the student returns in a few days, and in most cases continue the disruptive behavior.  Of course in most cases these students are crying out for help.  Often times these students are hurting and they don’t have the skills to verbalize how or what they are feeling.  Many of these students are crying out because their basic needs are not being met. Closing The Gap knows all too well how important it is to provide students with essential resources; because without these resources students will continue to cry out for help and they will continue creating chaos in the classroom.  By making sure students’ basic needs are met we can help ensure that students’ are not missing out on their most valuable resource,  an education.
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Fewer Than 9% of At-Risk Youth Will Earn A Degree By Age 24

Posted by admin on December 12, 2010 View Comments

Closing The Gap…. One Child At A Time

Fewer than 9% of at-risk youth will earn a degree by age 24.   If these students are provided with essential resources and emotional and financial support the percentage of at-risk youth receiving degrees could be much higher.

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Closing The Gap Takes A Look At The Number of Students Growing Up in Poverty

Posted by admin on December 11, 2010 View Comments

Closing The Gap takes a look at the number of students growing up in poverty.  According to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.

  • Poverty rate for African Americans: 26.1 percent
  • Poverty rate for Asians and Pacific Islanders: 12.5 percent
  • Poverty rate for Hispanics of any race: 25.6 percent
  • Poverty rate for non-Hispanic whites: 8.2 percent

Children in poverty are under resourced and they have fewer economic resources than their middle class peers.   If poverty stricken children are expected to have a a successful school career they must be equipped with the necessary resources to make this happen.  How can classwork and homework be completed if students don’t have basic supplies like pencils and paper.  Educators should never take for granted that students are not completing assignments because they don’t want to.  Many times students don’t have the supplies they need to complete their work.  Additionally, educators should dig a little deeper to uncover why some students are missing so many days from school.   Could it be that students don’t have school clothing or personal care items available to them.  If students can have their basic needs met their chance of academic success improves drastically.

Stay In School; Closing The Gap Examines Why

Posted by admin on November 28, 2010 View Comments

Stay in School is what most students here; however it’s not as easy as it sounds.   Closing The Gap examines the lasting effects dropping out of school can have on students.

Let us know your thoughts about this video.  Rate it and pass it on to your friends.

Closing The Gap Video Debut

Posted by admin on November 26, 2010 View Comments

Closing The Gap debuts it’s first video highlighting our commitment and dedication to providing school supplies and school clothing to at-risk youth ages 4-18.

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Closing The Gap

Posted by admin on November 26, 2010 View Comments

Closing The Gap is dedicated to providing at-risk youth age 4-18 with school clothing and school supplies.  At-risk youth face challenges everyday that undermine their success, and they oftentimes do not have a fighting chance; especially if their basic needs are not met. We are committed to closing the gap one child at a time by removing obstacles and helping students reach new heights. We hope to impact children in a way that will greatly enhance their lives socially, emotionally, and academically.