Teaching Students in Poverty Alisha R.

Easley Glen Allen High School

Abstract Poverty affects our world in more ways than one, not only does it cause, amongst other things, constant hunger, chronic stress, and numerous health problems to those caught in its grip, it also has negative effects on the cognitive development and quality of education of a child. With the lack of appropriate cognitive development paired with the low quality of education provided to students in poverty the children are at a disadvantage. The problem with poverty and education is that the school systems do not have the resources necessary to help each student and the teachers are not well equipped with enough knowledge on this demographic to adequately help. To help children overcome the educational disadvantages of a child in poverty is to better the quality of education for the student, specifically through the impact of the educator. I have researched the cognitive and social effects of poverty on a child, as well as, strategies that have been previously implemented to combat the negative effects of poverty inside the classroom, in attempts to come up with a program that can be used to aid teachers in better accommodating students.

Introduction Wikipedia describes poverty as A state of privation or lack of the usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possession; Poverty has become an increasing problem in America since the 1970s. More and more students are being affected by poverty; this puts them at a clear disadvantage due to the learning gap between students of varying socioeconomic statuses. In addition to the current disadvantage the gap is further perpetuated by the lack of schools and teachers resources needed to combat this hurdle. Povertys effect on education and the tools needed to solve this problem have been investigated in order to create a program that educates teachers on how to close this unfortunate gap. According to research, building a strong relationship with the student and family is the number one way to better the quality of education for students and close the learning gap. Poverty According to Census Bureau In the United States, there is an official measure of poverty, according to the Census Bureau people are categorized in poverty if their monetary income before taxes which does not include capital gain or noncash benefits, such as, public housing, Medicaid, and food stamps, do not meet or exceed the poverty threshold of the family or individual. Income includes earnings, unemployment compensation, social security, public assistance, veterans pay, alimony, etc. The poverty threshold is the minimal level of resources that are adequate to meet basic needs. There are 48 possible poverty thresholds that vary depending on the place residence. If the total family income is less than the threshold appropriate for the family then the whole family is in poverty. In America, in 2012, there were 46.5 million people in poverty. The official poverty rate

has increased by 2.5% since 2007 making it 15% in 2012. Children are greatly affected by these numbers, one in four children in America are living in poverty, 21.8% eighteen and under and 24.4% 6 and under. Of the children affected by poverty 21.3% are boys while 22.3% are girls. In Virginia alone, over 250,000 children are living in poverty. Povertys Effect on Education Povertys impacts children mainly in their cognition and physicality however, it can also affect vocabulary, effort, nutrition, and mindset which plays a significant role in the educational gap between students of varying socioeconomic statuses. The association between poverty and childrens development and academic performance has been well documented, beginning as early as the second year of life and extending through elementary and high school. When these risks occur during preschool years, they can have long-lasting consequences a childs education. (Engle & Black, n.d.) Children in poverty are often unprepared for school because survival is the number one priority which puts getting an education in the back of the parents mind, money is often spent on food and bills as opposed to school supplies. Parents also lack the time to aid their students with school work (Gassama 2012). Its not poverty itself that causes problems for a child, but the effects of poverty that creates issues within the brain. Chronic stress is the number one psychological factor poverty puts on a childs family, this stress can begin to affect a child as early as age two through high school, the severity of the damage is dependent on how early the child if affected by the stress. The stress can also impair relationship between the child and parent; the lack of a proper relationship between parent and child has a direct effect on cognitive development, specifically, the synaptic connections made in the brain during its early years, most prevalent ages 0-2.

Because of this lack of connection the child can be subjected to toxic stress thus killing brain cells. Research states the parent/child relationship also impacts genes, good experiences can induce positive genes and vice versa. Behavior is the number one indicator that the stress level of the parent has impacted the child. Conduct disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder have been linked to families with poverty. Effects of poverty have been proven to be more potent in the childhood years, as opposed to adolescence As a result of the lack of synaptic connections, and psychological disorders, that often go untreated, the students are unprepared for school. Untreated ADHD does not allow the students to focus along with disrupting other students. Povertys physical effects on the student also play a role in their unpreparedness for school and can ultimately lead to their lack of achievement in the classroom. A student in poverty suffers from the physical effects of a lack of nutrition, amongst other things. In a 2007 study, the students with free/reduced lunch reported lower levels of engagement than those not in Title I. One of the main differences between that of a middle student and low class student are health and nutrition, this can lead to lack of focus and participation because the students is focused on his/her hunger(Jensen 2013). Students can also suffer from a lack of sleep that will affect the students level of attention in the classroom. Building Relationships Building relationships has been identified as the number one thing that increases academic achievement for students living in poverty. For students from generational poverty to learn, a significant relationship must be present. When individuals who made it out of poverty are interviewed, virtually all cite an individual who made a significant difference for them. Not only must the relationships be present, but academic tasks need to be referenced in terms of relationships. (Payne 1996)

A healthy relationship allows the student to feel safe to confide in the teacher. According to Ruby Paynes Nine Powerful Practices (2008), building relationships of respect is the number one practice to raise achievement. In her article she states, James Comer (1995) puts it well: No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship. Building a respectful relationship doesn't mean becoming the student's buddy. It means that teachers both insist on high-quality work and offer support. Providing relationships for the students outside the one formulated with the teacher is also important, according to Payne (2008). When an individual is learning something new, learning should happen in a supportive context. Teachers should help all students feel part of a collaborative culture. Intervene if you see an elementary student always playing alone at recess or a middle or high school student eating lunch alone. Assign any new student a buddy immediately and ensure that each student is involved with at least one extracurricular group at lunch or after school. Whenever possible, introduce new learning through paired assignments or cooperative groups. A students lack of stable, healthy relationships does have the ability to foster behavior problems in the classroom that may contribute to the students educational deficit (Gajowski, 2012). Creating a New Mindset Students in poverty tend to focus on the present which make it extremely difficult for them to correlate their education with the future. Other Strategies Research has shown that along with building relationships there are other strategies that can be helpful when trying to increase academic achievement for a student living in poverty. Simplistic and, sometimes, obvious strategies may work best for students. Understanding the

mindset and home life of a student makes using the little strategies most effective. The relationship built with the student provides the educator with a channel by which they can become more knowledgeable of the students lives at their discretion. Assessing the students resources will allow the educator to understand what the student already has and best accommodate for what they lack. Payne states, Teachers need to be aware that many students identified as "at risk" lack these outside resources. Interventions that require students to draw on resources they do not possess will not work. Students in poverty are more willing to learn if they understand the importance of the information, it is important that the student understands the necessity of learning in general as well as the specific content, for example relating math to money calculation will allow the students to identify with the content as survival skills. Creating a safe environment will also ease the struggle of learning, students in low socioeconomic statuses come from families that are unable to buy clothes of a similar fashion to the other students and can often times be the victim of bullying. By creating a learning environment in which students feel valued and included will promote attendance as well as participation. (Gassama 2012) Conclusion Through research, there seems to be a high, negative correlation between poverty and education. Quality of education of students in poverty is negatively impacted by inability of the school and teachers to provide the necessary resources as well as the lack of students preparedness for daily work. Additional funding to the schools would be complicated to implement therefore the focus needs to be shifted to the educators and because, outside of the parents, teachers have the most influence on students, especially in elementary school because they are with the same students all day long. A great teacher is powerful resource for students; if given the proper tools and knowledge they have the power to close this gap.

Clever, S. (2011). Schools to the Rescue. Instructor, 120 (6), 1-4. Retrieved from http://files. eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ945719.pdf Engle, P., & Black, M. (date). The Effect of Poverty on Child Development and Educational Outcomes. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.calpoly.edu/cgi/viewcontent. Gassama, S. (2012). The Correlation between Poverty and Learning: What Can Be Done To Help Children with Limited Resources Learn. Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov /fulltext/ED530618.pdf Jackson, Sherrill. (Interviewer) & Kulkarni, Chaya. (Interviewee). (2012). Poverty and Stress [Interview video]. Retrieved from TVO Parent Web site:http://tvoparents.tvo.org/ video /181067/sick-kids-tips-poverty-and-stress

Jensen, E. (2013, May). How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement. Educational Leadership, 70 (8). Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/may13/vol70/ num08/ How-Poverty-Affects-Classroom-Engagement.aspx

Payne, R. (2008, April). Nine Powerful Practices. Educational Leadership, 65 (7) Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/ educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/NinePowerful- Practices.aspx

Payne, R. (1996). Understanding and Working with Students and Adults from Poverty. Retrieved from http://homepages.wmich.edu/~ljohnson/Payne.pdf