How Poverty Is Crushing the Future of American Kids

Their Parents Can’t Earn a Living Wage, Their Schools Are Underperforming, and The Rest of Us Are Looking the Other Way

As the presidential election season kicks off, we can expect to be inundated with partisan debates about our nation’s biggest problems and how to address them. But there is one matter on which every candidate agrees: the growing gap between rich and poor needs to be addressed.

In 2013, the average income for the wealthiest 10 percent of U.S. families rose 10 percent from 2010—while the income of the bottom 40 percent declined. Where does the Horatio Alger story of bootstrapping fit into this picture? Is America still defined as …

April 18, 2015

MacArthur Park’s Still Waters Run Deep

Photos That Capture the Fútbol, Fishing, and Mystery of L.A.’s Historic Patch of Green

April 17, 2015

by Steve Hymon

At 5:15 a.m. on a recent Saturday in early April, light was just beginning to creep up from the horizon at MacArthur Park, in the urban …

My Lawn Is Worse Than Yours

What’s a Southern California Homeowner to Do with High Water Bills, a Historic Drought, and No Consensus on What to Plant Instead?

by Joe Mathews | April 16, 2015

Forgive me for bragging, but my front lawn looks a lot worse than yours.

As the drought deepens and the state water board revises its plans for mandatory restrictions this …

My Version of Hell Is a Park in Long Beach

My Family Loves El Dorado Park, But I Hate Everything About It

by Alexandria Conrad | April 5, 2015

I detest El Dorado Park.

Yes, I understand the appeal of the park, an oasis of greenery nestled between an aqueduct and the 605 freeway on the outskirts of Long …

Caught Between the Saguaros and the Deep Blue Sea

Gila Bend, Arizona, Is Where I Feel the Pull of Two Different Homes

by Lauren Loftus | April 4, 2015

By the time I reach Gila Bend, the radio waves from Phoenix have almost completely faded into fuzzy static. I feel giddy anticipation as the speed limit drops abruptly from …

What I Learned from 52 Cypress Trees in 52 Weeks

I Spent My 60th Year Walking in a Park, Making Art, and Figuring Out What Really Mattered in My Life

by Sue Mitchell | April 2, 2015

In 2008, when unemployment in Riverside, California hit 10.5 percent, owning a staffing business was cause for great concern. To keep my sanity, I started walking. I was fortunate to …

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How Poverty Is Crushing the Future of American Kids

Their Parents Can’t Earn a Living Wage, Their Schools Are Underperforming, and The Rest of Us Are Looking the Other Way

MacArthur Park’s Still Waters Run Deep

Photos That Capture the Fútbol, Fishing, and Mystery of L.A.’s Historic Patch of Green

My Lawn Is Worse Than Yours

What’s a Southern California Homeowner to Do with High Water Bills, a Historic Drought, and No Consensus on What to Plant Instead?

My Version of Hell Is a Park in Long Beach

My Family Loves El Dorado Park, But I Hate Everything About It

Caught Between the Saguaros and the Deep Blue Sea

Gila Bend, Arizona, Is Where I Feel the Pull of Two Different Homes

What I Learned from 52 Cypress Trees in 52 Weeks

I Spent My 60th Year Walking in a Park, Making Art, and Figuring Out What Really Mattered in My Life

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The Loneliness of America’s Poor Kids

Political Scientist Robert D. Putnam Explains the Toll Inequality is Taking on Children with Less Educated, Less Connected, Less Wealthy Parents

Don’t Sweat the Squalor?

Five Leading Economists Reflect On Whether American Wealth Disparity Is Inherent to the American Way

Give California’s Kids Barstools for Christmas

It’s Clear That the Next Generation Doesn’t Matter in a State That Prioritizes Bars and Restaurants Over Schools

To End the Stigma Around America’s Poverty Crisis, Teach It in the Classroom

Instruction on the Nature, Extent, and Causes of Poverty Will Challenge Entrenched Narratives Around It—And Open the Door for Policy Change

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