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Community at Stake

  • Writer: Katie Minger
    Katie Minger
  • Jan 21, 2024
  • 4 min read

Pottstown, Pennsylvania is a small suburban community in Montgomery County situated about 47 miles northwest of Philadelphia.  The town is home to a melting pot of citizens.  As of 2021, the Data USA platform reports that 63% of the population of Pottstown is White, 21% of the population is Black, 8.15% of the population is Hispanic, and 7.29% of the population is put into the “other” category.  The median household income in Pottstown is listed at $52,722 and the poverty rate at that time was 15.4%.  Only 25.1% of residents were listed as obtaining their high school diploma and only 15.5% of residents had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher (Data USA).


The Pottstown School District is currently home to about 3,200 students.  Our district is comprised of 4 neighborhood Elementary Schools, a Middle School, the Senior High School, which also includes an in-house Vocational School with award-winning CTE programs, an alternative placement school, and a virtual learning center that is housed in our administration building (Pottstown School District).  U.S. News & World Report shows that 70% of our students are minorities and 68.8% of our students are economically disadvantaged.  Due to this, all students in our district qualify for the federal free and reduced meal program (U.S. News & World Report).


The Pottstown community was born in 1701 and was an integral part of the iron and steel manufacturing industry in the United States.  The Reading Railroad aided in moving iron and steel products across the state of Pennsylvania and ran through Pottstown Borough.  Some of the town’s most famous products include pieces forged for the Golden Gate Bridge and the locks for the Panama Canal (Borough of Pottstown).  Many people moved to the area because there were many job opportunities and it was considered a great place to raise a family.  Once the steel jobs were no longer, many of the mills closed and much of the community was out of work (Reading Eagle).  Today many of the town’s residents commute at least 25 minutes to get to their place of employment.  The town itself has also been trying to revitalize itself over the past few years.  Many new restaurants, storefronts, industrial companies, and real estate investors have been coming into town in hopes of bringing in more jobs and residential taxpayers (Borough of Pottstown).


Dividing Factors


Although the district offers many opportunities for students to thrive we struggle with low attendance rates, poor parental involvement, student transiency issues, and a high poverty rate.  Our school district has also been battling a fair funding fight with the state for years to give our students the educational opportunities that they deserve (Pottstown School District).


Access to Online Learning Resources:  With the increasing integration of technology in education, many schools, including ours, have adopted online learning platforms, digital textbooks, and educational websites as part of their curriculum.  Lee discusses how so much of the coursework given to students has now been digitized and this causes a severe struggle for students who do not have proper access to the materials that they may need to complete their assignments at home (Lee).  Students who lack access to these resources at home may struggle to keep up with their studies, which in turn may lead to disengagement and absenteeism.


Communication:  Many schools use email, messaging apps, or online platforms to communicate important information to students and parents, such as announcements, assignments, and upcoming events.  Reimer and Hill discuss how a lack of connectivity and/or knowledge of technology from parents/guardians can greatly affect a student’s performance and involvement in school.  Students and families that lack internet access may miss out on important communications, leading to misunderstandings about what is happening in the classroom and a lack of involvement in the school community by students and their families (Reimer and Hill).


Digital Skills Development:  Proficiency in digital skills is essential for academic and professional success in today’s world.  Journell points out that students from a lower socioeconomic school district do not have the same technological learning experience as those from a more affluent area (Journell).  Students who lack access to technology at home may fall behind in developing these skills, making it harder to navigate digital learning environments and hindering their ability to engage in school activities fully.


Virtual Learning During Absences/Homework Completion:  Missed assignments and homework often require internet access and digital devices for accessing online learning platforms where teachers upload class materials.  Students without reliable access may find it difficult to complete assignments outside of school hours, which can lead to poor academic performance and further widen the gap between them and their peers who can participate in a virtual learning environment (Darling-Hammond et al., 2014).


Unfortunately, even in a post-COVID-19 society, we are still dealing with a lot of these shortfalls, especially in the low-income district that I work in.  All students may now have a device to work from, but that device is useless unless students have access to the internet at home.  The school district may provide hot spots for students, but if that is not communicated effectively to parents/guardians, then they do not even realize that that option exists for them.  Policymakers and members of the community must work to ensure equitable access for all students and their families if we want them to be successful.  The community also needs to become engaged in this fight for equitable access if we ever want to make it a reality.


References:  


Borough of Pottstown. (2024, January 15). Economic development. https://www.pottstown.org/111/Economic-Development


Borough of Pottstown. (2024, January 15). History of borough. https://www.pottstown.org/270/History-of-Borough


Data USA. (2024, January 14). Pottstown, PA. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/pottstown-pa?genderOccupations=sex0


Darling-Hammond, L., Zielezinski, M., & Goldman, S. (2014). Using technology to support at-risk students’ learning. Scope Center for Opportunity Policy in Education. chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/44519145/Technology_for_At-Risk_Youth_Policy_Brief-libre.pdf?1460077573=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DUsing_Technology_to_Support_At_Risk_Stud.pdf&Expires=1708875121&Signature=BjqUeZZVFsJBapGRJzwyaYhvLwzOdZE5k-fXHTx1z2KERqz3A62wiQ-dpOjUcglvx3rsdrGqS-Ohm5a~c-oQWN5ZzFkePB4ilfQ~DzrklUgWQneOTa8XyibhHZjvgUCAMr-jBRdOQDekmRWz~6Js8R3WzH2PWPXj-WFKJC3uG2-54Fv5w52samf6ZIunzEvKbcfp6XW~wyySf2mX1yQxosEbW6YKR2MYzU4ASrrBN-QACRUQ9ETEoEHy9qqdCLXVgh6fqFivDSVmVqLMgPUPlFYk68tdqwg5OWjUQpHauqbjp50XGP8I0gvNCc2Q9xmOex~FhuFK-D-40PWRsFQulw__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA


Hill, J. & Reimer, T. (2022). Crossing the digital divide and the equity expanse: Reaching and teaching all students during the pandemic. Journal of Leadership, Equity,a nd Research 8(1) 70-86.  https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/ed_facpubs/8/


Journell, Wayne. “The Inequities of the Digital Divide: Is e-Learning a Solution?” E-Learning​, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne​, vol. 4, no. 2, 2007, pp. 138–149.  https://doi.org/10.2304/elea.2007.4.2.138



Pottstown School District. (2024, January 14). Fair funding.  https://www.pottstownschools.org/AdvocatingforChange_201948144548883.aspx


Pottstown School District. (2024, January 14). Our district.  https://www.pottstownschools.org/OurDistrict.aspx


Reading Eagle (2024, January 15). Bethlehem steel grows a town, helps cast a national landmark. https://www.readingeagle.com/2015/06/28/bethlehem-steel-grows-a-town-helps-cast-national-landmark/


 
 
 

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