School fundraising is a practice that is common in many schools in the United States. This is also true in high-poverty schools where there are many financial needs that are often not met. Lincoln Elementary School is one of these schools. A well-intentioned first-grade team of teachers develops and works to implement a plan to fundraise using their students to get monies for needed classroom technology. A problem arises when the reward designed to incentivize students to raise funds is put into question by one of the first-grade student’s parents. This complex case considers inequity, fundraising, intentions, principal decision-making, critical consciousness, and leading high-poverty schools using a lens of social justice.
Editors’ note: The Rural Educator publishes a policy brief each issue, intended to explore topics pertinent to rural education policy and advocacy. The issue of school safety is particularly timely, especially for rural schools. We believe this essay, based on surveys of school leaders in Colorado, takes a unique perspective by examining the financial costs that might be associated with policies to place guns in schools.
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