While populations continue to grow and technological advances are continuously being discovered, there are still regions that are impoverished; children have few chances to be successful due to poor school systems and under qualified teachers. Families and children living in poverty have a family income less than the federal poverty threshold, which is $23,624. Families and children classified as low-income have a family income that is less than the federal poverty threshold ("South Carolina"). The Corridor Region, consisting of seventeen counties down highway I-95 in South Carolina, is not an exception to these qualifications; it is commonly referred to as "The Corridor of Shame" after Bud Ferrillo created his documentary with that name, showing the struggles that these schools endure. Some actions have been taken to improve the struggles in this region, but it will take many years to turn around these counties' neglect of students. Teach for America is an organization that has attempted to create a better learning environment for the students attending these schools. It has great intentions of improving school systems like the ones down highway I-95, but the program needs to be reconstructed to really have an impact on the low-income schools. Rather than training these teachers in five weeks, Teach For America (TFA) should require at least nine weeks of training and a three-year contract. Many schools will greatly benefit from these adjustments. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines success as "the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame." In my opinion, successful men and women may not always be the wealthiest, but they are able to provide shelter and food for their families. Wealth is subjective; it does not have to be money. Children should not be denied a chance to success, no matter what their family income. 

Teach For America is an organization that places recent college graduates into low-income schools across America to give back to less fortunate areas. The teachers, or corps members, are not required to have an education degree, but they go through a five-week training process to prepare them to become educators (Omani).  The program turns its focus towards graduates with strong academic records and leadership qualities whether or not they have prior exposure to teaching (Glazerman). Teach for America's website states that "Teach For America alumni point to the corps as one of the most influential times of their lives -- a time when they found passion, purpose, and what it feels like to make an impact. This translates to skills employers want and career opportunities in education and beyond. Alumni career paths are as diverse as our alumni themselves. Yet, they share a commitment to kids and to expanding opportunities for a better future" ("About Us"). I find it concerning that even the website suggests that the program is a resume builder. The organization should be encouraging its teachers to stay in education and not advertising the many other career options that might come after being a corps member. On the other hand, for many school districts, if TFA did not exist, there would not be enough teachers within the schools to have them run more smoothly. Teach For America's program continues to expand, but there is not much evidence as to whether or not teachers with great academic records and backgrounds prove to be good teachers as well (Glazerman). 

On Teach For America's official website, many statistics are given to show the positive impact the program has in low-income areas. A recent study found that corps members teaching in elementary schools with an average of 1.7 years of teaching experience perform just as well as other teachers in the same schools who have an average of 13.6 years of experience. The same study also proved that students in grades pre-k through second grade being taught by corps members boosted their reading scores by 1.3 months of further instruction when compared to other teachers in the same schools. In 2013, a Mathematica study found that corps members who taught secondary math boosted student learning by an equivalent of 2.6 months of additional learning when compared to other teachers in the same schools as well ("About Us"). These statistics clearly show that TFA is making an impact, but there is not much evidence online as to how this study was performed. Teach For America also had forty-one percent of its first year teachers and fifty-three percent of its second year teachers advance their students by one and a half to two years in a single year. These statistics are shown on the website, but as Blanchard points out that "when asked about the origin of these statistics, TFA's former research director, Heather Harding, admitted that many teachers provide performance statistics based on self-designed assessments" (Atlantic). This calls many of the other information on TFA's website into question if they are taking statistics out of context to help the organization look better.

Along with the fact that TFA instructors do not have a teaching degree, the turnover rate for new teachers within the TFA schools are very large. Most of the teachers in this program are not wishing to pursue a career in education. Forty-one percent of the teachers in TFA leave within five years, and twelve percent quit after their first year teaching despite the two-year contract (Omani). TFA should create more of a penalty for quitting before their contracts are up. Right now, if a corps member leaves before their two years are completed, they get reprimanded and spoken to saying they are giving up such a wonderful opportunity. This policy needs to be changed and backing out of a contract should result in a large fine. Teachers become much more effective after their third, fourth, or fifth year teaching so when they leave the schools before this time period, the educators will not reach their full capabilities in teaching. Large turn around rates can have an emotional impact on the students because they will start to realize that TFA teachers will be gone shortly even if they have made impacts in students' lives and education levels (Omani). We like to have people care about us and stick around to see us succeed, but as a student in a TFA school seeing a large number of teachers leave and new teachers get placed each year, it is mentally damaging. The students know that their schools are in poor condition; they see it each day, but they do not have the option to leave if they wish to still get an education. It becomes mentally hard to continue to care about an education and success if the state cannot care enough to provide a good learning environment for students. Students need teachers that will stick around for many years and learn more about how to educate children and what needs to be done to get the most out of each student; this comes with experience. 

This topic is interesting because, having grown up in South Carolina, there are lots of news reports about the poor education across the state but especially in the suburban counties within the Corridor Region. South Carolina's education system is ranked forty-third in the nation (Clayton), and this is partially because of the negligence of education in the low-income areas in the state. This region is one of the poorest in South Carolina with a high unemployment rate and declining population. The article, "Education Funding, Expenditures and Outcomes in South Carolina's I-95 Corridor Region" discusses the issues of twenty-one percent of the SC population inhabiting this region, and five percent more children living in poverty than the statewide proportion. Because the area has so little money, the schools in the Corridor Region rely to a much larger degree on state funding than the rest of state (Clayton). The conditions of many of the school buildings in these areas are in very poor condition due to this lack of funding the counties can provide. After it rains, many of the school hallways are filled with sewage water, and students must walk through the filth to get from one place to another. I believe that any student from any walk of life can become successful, but it is impossible to have success when growing up in schools with under qualified teachers and a community that cannot afford changing the school system. The majority of the people who grow up in the Corridor Region stay in the Corridor Region their whole lives. It is such a difficult trap to escape from without help, and everyone deserves a chance at success. 

Because of such low standards within these schools, the dropout rate and education level of the students is largely affected. The I-95 Corridor experienced an average dropout rate of 3.7%, while the state has an average dropout rate of 3.9%, between the years of 2007 and 2008. Every school district in the region, except for two, rated either "Below Average" or "At Risk" in the 2009 district report card ratings (Clayton). When determining these things, the facilities, teaching, conditions, and chances to succeed within each school is evaluated. These results are disturbing. How can the South Carolina government expect these students to be successful? The students can look around them and see the poor conditions of the school and how not much initiative is being taken to improve this region. 

The school systems within the Corridor Region not only put students at a disadvantage educationally, but the students are more likely to end up in prison because the schools are under employed, "[forcing] them to rely disproportionately on extensive use of suspensions, expulsions, and the police" (Rose). The teachers typically are less qualified and tend to be paid lower salaries as well as less equipped to handle a situation in which discipline is necessary and required. This causes disciplinary action at a majority of the schools in "educational ghettos" to fall into the hands of local law enforcement rather than just punishment within the school (Rose).  Katherine Rose's article mainly focuses on how the low-income schools are due to the Separate but Equal clause. These people are still experiencing the issues of racial discrimination towards colored people and the schools are a direct correlation of this; two thirds of the students attending the schools in the Corridor Region are of color (Rose). Poor behavior within the classroom has a very large impact on students' education. TFA corps members are not as strenuously taught how to deal with conflicts like teachers who major in education: "Because many corps members do not receive their specific teaching assignments until after training has ended, the same training is given to future kindergarten teachers in Atlanta, charter-school teachers in New Orleans, and high-school physics teachers in Memphis" (Blanchard); this is no way to train people going into the education field.  

In regards to seeing these poor schools, I have not actually been to most of the schools in the Corridor of Shame, but I have played basketball in some of the facilities of a few of these schools; the conditions were below average. Many of the restrooms in the gym were unusable and most of the walls had chipped paint as well as cracks in it. The lighting within the gyms was dark and the gyms are dank facilities, due to the lack of funding available within these schools. Also, many of schools within the city limits of Columbia are in very poor condition, and the students do not experience the same support as the students who attend schools in higher income regions. It is not realistic to suggest that all of these schools be torn down and rebuilt, but changes can and should be made in the schools. I think the responsibilities of making the school nicer should not just be placed in the hands of the government. There are so many other ways to make minor changes within these low-income schools. Over the weekends, in the afternoons, and throughout the summer, there should be an opportunity for students, parents, and people within the community to come and paint school walls. Even simply getting students to plant gardens or flower beds on campus could make a huge difference in school pride. If students get to make a first hand lasting impact, they are more inclined to take pride in their school and that could transfer to the classroom. 

I have a desire to change not only many of the low-income schools' facilities but the home-life for the children as well. Teach For America not only focuses on educating the children, but many of the parents must be taught too; whether it be in how to support their children or learning to push their children to become better students and to enforce rules within their homes to keep their children out of trouble. TFA should put a larger focus on educating the parents than what is being done now. A student's home situation has a major impact on classroom behavior and education. Many children do not have both parents still living within their homes, and some have parents in jail or do not even know their parents. 

Having a good education is essential to getting jobs and just getting through day-to-day life. In order to clean a home, one has to be able to read the label of cleaning supplies to know hot to use that specific cleaner. Being well educated is not strictly book smarts. Simple tasks like writing a check, paying bills, and reading contracts require education. America as a whole needs to reassess the education system in low-income schools and public schools because education is so much more than passing a standardized test. Teach For America has not been largely beneficial in the education ghettos, but there is lots of support for TFA because no other organization is really working towards helping this unsupported cause. Poor education can no longer continue to be swept under the rug. It must be addressed, and not with more laws and regulations, but with passion and positive influence. There is much help and support needed in the Corridor Region; those counties cannot fix the funding issue themselves. Success begins with education and that is why it is so essential to obtain good public school facilities and educators within each community and school system; it will enhance each student's learning experience. Motivation is needed within these low-income schools to show the children that the state and nation cares about their success and education. 

