Learning disabilities.

Poor children "are at the greatest risk of not getting enough education," according to a study released in 1993 by the National Anti-Poverty Organization (NAPO).

The report, which links illiteracy and poverty, outlines various problems that poor children face:

* Hungry children cannot concentrate at school.

* Worry, stress, and tension also take their toll on concentration.

* Crowded homes mean few quiet places to study.

* Poor, undereducated parents lack the confidence to challenge the school system.

According to NAPO, family poverty can negatively affect every aspect of a child's physical, emotional, and intellectual development.

Another study by the Canadian Council on Social Development says that, while the national dropout rate for students aged 15 to 19 is 27%, for poor children it is 45%. There are several major roadblocks to a child's success at school, including insufficient family income, constant family disruptions and systemic discrimination against minority races. But, the Council says 11% of school dropouts can be attributed to poverty alone.

The link is particularly acute in Quebec with a 40% high school dropout rate, the highest in the country. One in five Montrealers live in poverty. But that figure jumps to an even more alarming one in three when you consider only families with children of school age. And, while poverty is not the only cause of academic failure, being socially disavantaged clearly takes its toll. In Verdun, for example, one of Quebec's poorest communities, the dropout rate is five times that in Westmount, its richest.

NAPO's report adds that: "Undereducated children often grow up to be poor adults. As adults, not only do bad experiences with school prevent them from returning, the demands of making ends meet on limited income make it difficult to find time and energy for literacy training."

It's estimated that one in four Canadians cannot read well enough to cope with everyday work and home situations and that fewer than one in 50 of those who need a literacy program attend one.

Poor education leads to poor incomes. Children from low-income families continue to drop out of school more. And, so the cycle continues.