Don’t become a statistic is something Dasani hears all the time—from the teachers at McKinney to the preachers on the street. There is little that Dasani can do to become, or un-become, the statistics that mark her life. She is among the 83 percent of students who qualify for free lunch at her school, the 16 million children growing up poor nationwide, and the 47 million Americans on food stamps. She does not need the proof of abstract research. She can see with her own eyes where the numbers lead. “I want to get a job—not be on the street like other people.
