The majority of these gains were from math, science, and other technically oriented courses. 7 In addition to the need to bridge a substantial skills gap in many job markets, the challenge of connecting the residents of poor neighborhoods to jobs often entails overcoming informational and transportation barriers.
These problems are illustrated by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston’s research and fieldwork in Springfield, Massachusetts. Springfield was one of the concentrated poverty case studies. The Boston Bank noted that Springfield residents with a high school education were less likely to be employed than similarly educated residents of comparable cities.