Pedro Noguera, an author, professor and former K-12 classroom teacher will speak Thursday, Oct. 18 at Highline Community College about poverty’s pervasive influence on the achievement gap and what he believes to be an oversight by current education policy to address the issue.

The free event is at 7 p.m. in the Mount Townsend Room, 2400 S. 240th St., in Des Moines.

As an urban sociologist and New York University professor, Noguera looks at ways in which the academic performance of students in urban areas is linked to social and economic factors. He argues that American public schools are floundering, and our current policies are focusing on the symptoms and not the underlying cause—poverty.

Noguera will discuss a new national reform agenda, the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education. This approach focuses on wrap-around services that address hunger and health, parental engagement and supporting teachers through improved instruction.

Noguera is the author of books including “The Trouble with Black Boys…and Other Reflections on Race, Equity and the Future of Public Education,” and “Unfinished Business: Closing the Achievement Gap in Our Nation’s Schools.”

The event is presented in partnership by the League of Education Voters Foundation and the Road Map Project. Event sponsors include Microsoft, Perkins Coie, LLP, the Raikes Foundation and Vulcan.

The League of Education Voters Foundation is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization made up of parents, students and leaders who believe in a quality education from cradle to career.