Social workers are commonly met with issues specific to their respective regions, making cooperating with authorities an essential part of their job. Child development in the United States is a complicated topic that requires extensive research and efficient interventions. For example, the statistics provided by the Children’s Defense Fund highlight numerous problems in Texas (“The state of America’s children 2017 report,” n.d.). This paper will discuss issues with child development in Texas and ways to lower them. It is apparent that drastic shifts in the state’s policies are required to support younger generations.
Texas trails behind many other states on several critical indicators related to the environment in which children are raised. Over a million and a half Texan children and teens are below poverty levels, 24% of individuals below 18 do not have a secure food source, and 233 of them were fatally shot in 2015 (“The state of America’s children 2017 report,” n.d.). This disturbing data reveals flaws in Texas policies that do not provide sufficient protection to disadvantaged youth. This notion results in the fact that the educational facilities in Texas do not perform at the best of their capabilities, as 69% of students fail to meet fourth-grade reading requirements (“The state of America’s children’s 2017 report,” n.d.). These issues can be overcome or, at least, alleviated through government actions, although they remain lacking.
I do not think that policies in this state align with recent evidence that points toward optimal child development strategies. Educational policies in Texas focus on promoting standards and allow facilities to enforce these limitations to teachers’ individual approaches (Cooper, 2019). Moreover, Texas provides insufficient support to struggling families, creating an environment that is detrimental to younger generations. Studies show that parental investments are directly linked to one’s education, affinity to crimes, and future job stability (Attanasio et al., 2021). Welfare often serves as a supportive foundation for households in need. However, the state’s family support programs do not reflect the current situation among its communities since they were not updated for a prolonged period (“Texas welfare reform,” n.d.). Children who come from such origins will not be able to enter adulthood with a level of success close to other states’ residents.
I believe that the gap between the applied strategies and humanity’s knowledge of optimal development is significant in the state of Texas. Nowadays, the harm stemming from the movement toward standardization of educational methods is widely recognized, as it limits curriculums and discourages creative thinking among students (Cooper, 2019). Texas relies on Essential Knowledge and Skills goals that do not support modern educational strategies. Family assistance policies that can alleviate the impact of poverty on younger generations are also lacking, despite the knowledge that low-housing investments, minimum wage laws, and similar acts protect youth from adverse outcomes (Berk, 2022). As a result, children are bound to experience issues with nutrition and have a higher chance of turning toward a criminal path. Many policies are ten to twenty years behind the rest of the country.
In conclusion, there are many challenges, such as poverty, food security, access to education, and gun incidents, that Texas has to overcome in order to support children in their development genuinely. Educational facilities limit the extent of application of new teaching strategies, as standardization policies harm innovation. Simultaneously, government support of families of low socioeconomic status lags behind many other states, spreading poverty and limiting children’s access to essential services and products. The gap between current and desired policies is enormous and requires an immediate intervention.
References
Attanasio, O., Cattan, S., & Meghir, C. (2021). Early childhood development, human capital, and poverty. Annual Review of Economics, 14, 853–892. Web.
Berk, L. E. (2022). Development through the lifespan (7th ed.). SAGE Publishing.
Cooper, P. M. (2019). Fighting for the unity of care and education in early childhood: Understanding and disrupting challenges to professional knowledge and action. In F. Nxumalo & C. P. Brown (Eds.), Disrupting and countering deficits in early childhood education (pp. 83–102). Routledge.
The state of America’s children 2017 report. (n.d.). Children’s Defense Fund. Web.
Texas welfare reform. (n.d.). Texas Workforce Commission. Web.