Sarah Alvarez

Robin Lowe Fletcher grew up in Stockbridge and she now owns one of the beauty salons in town. Fletcher and her husband have one son in high school and one in kindergarten.

Before kindergarten they were really worried about their youngest, Brenden. The school was supposed to be good, it’s been recognized by the state as a "reward school" and has a solid reputation.  But they thought people there might not help their son succeed, or that they might find ways to keep him out of their school.

As part of the reporting on Stockbridge, I worked with 17 young journalists. They reported on life in their town, educational opportunity and coming of age in rural Michigan.

Working collaboratively with myself and their teacher, Elizabeth Cyr, these students produced some amazing work. They offer a peek into what it means to be growing up in Michigan right now that, frankly, no one could tell any better. 

Get a glimpse inside a Stockbridge town hangout with Nick Roberts. You've never heard McDonalds sound like this.

Kids in poverty are much more likely to come from single parent homes. Because of this correlation politicians across the political spectrum (most recently Rick Santorum in his presidential bid) have pushed policies to encourage marriage. The hope is that marriage can alleviate childhood poverty.

The reasons for childhood poverty are complex. They're just as complex as the benefits of marriage and the  reasons people want, or don't want, to walk down the aisle.

Darrin and Narabia Little recently celebrated their tenth wedding anniversary. Darrin Little is a big supporter of marriage and thinks it has lots to do with his children's success. He is also very in love with his wife. Narabia Little is a stay at home mom and is as calm and measured as Darrin is outgoing and energetic.

They both work hard to keep their four lovely and high-achieving daughters happy and on the straight and narrow in Inkster, a community with grim statistics for kids.

They let us listen in as they talk about why their relationship is important to them, and why they think it works.

As you listen to State of Opportunity's special on the value and benefits of early education you can use this guide to help you dive into the material, help you understand what you're hearing, and start conversations or discussions with your friends or co-workers.

PART ONE: This is your brain on poverty.

I found a recently released New America Foundation report really interesting for a couple of reasons. There's the data (more on that later), but I was fascinated by how the report also documents the same phenomenon that occurs when you look at yourself in the mirror for too long. When you stare at yourself for too long you start to not like what you see. Imperfections ("My nose is actually crooked!"), start to surface and then to loom very large.

Janet Heller is one of State of Opportunity's many sources in the community. She shares her true story of how childhood bullying has continued to affect her life. You can share your story with us here.

When I was five, my parents moved to a different city.  I began afternoon kindergarten, but the students already knew one another and did not want to play with me during recess.  They treated me harshly.  Bobby pushed me down, and Charles threw stones at me.  Karen told me every day, “You’re so skinny I can see right through you!”  Her name-calling was the hardest for me to deal with because I was thin, so there was a grain of truth in the taunt.  I did not know what to do about the name-calling, and I did not know that Karen was bullying me.

I did not tell anyone until one day, Mom saw me crying after school and asked what was wrong.  I told her about Karen’s taunts.

Mom said, “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names can never hurt me.”  This was typical advice to children in the 1950's.

Even though I was very young, I knew that this proverb made no sense:  I felt deeply hurt inside by the name-calling.  What I needed was advice and help in dealing with abuse.  After Mom’s dismissal of my story, I concluded that adults were not interested in my pain.

The ever reliable economic mobility project at the PEW Charitable Trusts has a new report out today. The question they researched was whether or not having a college degree helped people make it through the recession.

If you haven't heard it yet, tune it to Lindsey Smiths's series on how kids are faring in Muskegon Heights. Muskegon Heights is the first place in the state to turn all its public schools over to a charter company, Mosaica Education.