Impact of Poverty on EducationMarcia Melton

EDCI 6300

Summer, 2007

Introduction The United States has about 74.5 million children.

Even though our county is one of the world’s 24 wealthiest country’s, the United States has the highest child poverty rate. (UNICEF, 2007)

Twenty percent of children are from poverty. (Payne, 2001) (Jenson, 2007)

Forty percent live in low-income families. (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2006)

It is easy to see that public education is greatly impacted by these children who may come to school lacking fundamental resources that in turn affect their learning.

Overview Impact of Poverty on Learning Payne Marzano Hart and Risley Implications for Educators Conclusion

Impact of Poverty on Learning Poverty effects student learning in many

ways. Jenson (2007) notes that poverty results in brain changes from several factors: nutritional deficits, lack of emotional support, stress/distress, health issues, cognitive stimulation, and safety issues.

Payne’s Definition of Poverty “The extent to which an individual does with

out resources.” (Payne, A Framework for Poverty, 2001)

Resources Include Financial-often used to define poverty levels,

financial resources does not explain the differences in success with which individuals leave poverty.

Emotional-perseverance, persistence, stamina and control of emotions

Mental-the ability to process information Spiritual-believing in a divine purpose and guidance

Resources Continued

Physical-having physical health Support Systems-friends and family Relationships/Role Models-having access to an

appropriate and nurturing adult “No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.” Dr. James Comer (1995)

Knowledge of the Hidden Rules-these exist in poverty, middle class and in wealth. They are the understandings that cue members of the group.

Marzano’s Findings

High Correlation between poverty and academic success

Students from low economic status had much higher failing rates, 63 to 85 percent higher

Hart and Risley

Welfare children experience 500 affirmatives and 1,100 prohibitions per week

Working class children experience 1,200 affirmatives and 700 prohibitions per week

Hart and Risley Continued

They also found that young children from poverty families have about 70 percent of the vocabulary of the same aged child in a working-class family and about 45 percent of the vocabulary of a child from a professional family.

Implications for Educators

Declarative Knowledge-what the learner knows or understands

Procedural Knowledge-what the learner is able to do

Dimensions of Learning, Marzano and Pickering (1997)

Declarative KnowledgeConstruct Meaning Organize Store

1. Help students understand what it means to construct meaning.2. Use the three-minute pause.3. Help students experience content using a variety of senses.4. Help students to construct meaning for vocabulary terms. 5. Present students with the K-W-l strategy. 6. Create opportunities for the students to discover or figure out the new information for themselves.7. Use instructional techniques that provide students with strategies to use before, during and after they receive information.

1. Help students understand the importance of organizing information.2. Have students use graphic organizers for the identified organizational patterns.3. Provide students with advance organizer questions.4. Present note-taking strategies that use graphic representation.5. Have students create physical and pictographic representation of information.6. Have students use graphs and charts.

1. Help students understand the process of storing information.2. Present students with the strategy of using symbols and substitutes.3. Use the link strategy with students.4. Use highly structured systems for storing information with students.5. Provide students with mnemonics for important content.

Procedural KnowledgeConstruct Models Shape Internalize

1. Help students understand the importance of constructing models for procedural knowledge.2. Use a think-aloud process to demonstrate a new skill or process.3. Provide or construct with students a written or graphic representation of the skill or process they are learning.4. Help students see how the skill or process they are learning is similar to and different from other skills or processes.5. Teach students to mentally rehearse the steps involved in a skill or process.

1. Help students understand the importance of shaping procedural knowledge. 2. Demonstrate and create opportunities for students to practice using the important variations of the skill or process.3. Point out common errors and pitfalls.4. Help students develop the conceptual understanding necessary to use the skill or process.

1. Help students understand the importance of internalizing procedural knowledge.2. Help students set up a practice schedule.3. Have students chart and report on their speed and/or accuracy when practicing new skills or processes.

The Importance of Mental Models

Students come to school with a background of existing information or their own mental models.

Background information impacts a student’s ability to process and store information.

Six Principals for Building Background Knowledge (Marzano, 2004)

background knowledge is stored in bimodal packets the process of storing experiences in permanent

memory can be enhanced background knowledge is multidimensional and its

value is contextual even surface-level background knowledge is useful background knowledge manifests itself as

vocabulary knowledge virtual experiences can enhance background

knowledge

Most Important Mental Model for Poverty Students (Payne, 2002)

Students need to understand Time Includes past, present and future Constructing a mental model for time is

critical for understanding cause, effect, consequence and sequence

Students who do not have a mental model for time can not plan

Drawbacks to Mental Models Learners often have preconceived (and often

inaccurate) conceptions of mental models. (Driscoll, 2005, p. 209)

Learners often build on prior knowledge that may be incorrect and inconsistent. (Jenson, 2005, p. 47)

Summary Most educators come from middle class backgrounds with

middle class values; therefore it may be difficult for them to understand that poverty may bring on a culture and value system much different than theirs. (Payne, 2001)

What is important to note is that poverty alone should not be used to track or label students. It should only serve to understand the diversity of their students in the same way one might understand English limited learners or other students in their classrooms. (Nieto & Bode, 2008)

Using the teaching strategies discussed here is beneficial for all students including those from backgrounds of poverty.

Remember: “People develop feelings that they are liked,

wanted, acceptable, and able from having been liked, wanted, accepted, and from having been successful.” (Combs, 1982)

Web Sites

National Center for Children of Poverty http://www.nccp.org/

This site includes many statistics about children in poverty. It also includes research information, projects, state profiles and publications. Very useful information for policy makers, educators and parents.

Article about Ruby Payne, Framework for Poverty New York Times

http://www.parsintl.com/14328.pdf

This article provides basic information about the research and writings of Ruby Payne. It provides an overview of the concepts provided in her writings and workshops as well as examples educators can relate to.

Make Poverty History http://www.makepovertyhistory.org/schools/

index.shtmlThis website takes a global look at poverty with

lesson plans for teachers to use with students. It also provides links to other resources such as Save the Children and WaterAid. While based in the United Kingdom, the global look at information makes the website useful to all educators.

Poverty USA http://www.nccbuscc.org/cchd/povertyusa/

edcenter/index.shtmlAt this website you will find a great presentation

about poverty. Go to the URL above, find site resources, and click on take a tour of Poverty USA. Units are available for different grade levels. While Catholic based, the information is great for educators in the public school setting.

Education-a Way out of Poverty www.sida.se/shared/jsp/download.jsp?

f=Edd12.pdf&a=2792

The information at this site is a PDF file of research presentations at the Poverty Conference, 2001. Sida, Swedish Internatinal Development Cooperation Agency, invited international researchers to present and then compiled the information in a document to help create an awareness of the effects of poverty and the social and education implications.

Print Resources

Works by Marzano Marzano, R. J. (2004). Building background knowledge for academic achievement. Alexandria, VA: Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J. & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, VA, Association for

Supervision and Curriculum Development. Marzano, R. J. & Pickering, D. J. (1997). Dimensions of learning. (2nd ed.). Alexandria,VA, Association for Supervision

and Curriculum.

These publications give educators background information about learning theories and how that relates to the classroom.

Dimensions of Learning outlines five types of thinking: Attitudes and Perceptions, How We Acquire and Integrate Knowledge, How We Extend and Refine Knowledge, How to Use Knowledge Meaningfully and How We Form Habits of the Mind. Each section of the book has classroom example to help lead educators to understand practical applications.

Building Background Knowledge gives the educator a perspective about the value of vocabulary in school achievement. Six steps are given to help with effective vocabulary instruction.

Classroom Instruction That Works examines research that looks at teaching strategies that most impact student learning. Note taking, group work and using graphic organizers plus other strategies are discussed and researched. The material is organized so that educators see the relationship between the research and how that relates to the classroom.

Works by Payne Payne, R. K. (2001). A framework for understanding poverty. Highlands, TX: aha Process, Inc. Payne, R.K. (2002). Understanding learning, the how, the why, the what. Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc.

Ruby Payne’s work focuses on the differences of values in the economic classes of people. While specifically designed to inform educators how to relate to students of low economic status, specific strategies are discussed on how educators can make learning significant to all students.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty gives case studies of individuals and engages the reader to explore what resources does this individual have or lack that impacts their success. The importance of creating relationships is also discussed.

Understanding Learning, the How, the Why, the What is a resource guide for teachers that takes the information presented in A Framework for Understanding Poverty and gives educators practical ready to use ideas. The first three chapters are a refresher course in the CPI model of learning theory. Payne then provides the teacher a handbook of easy to follow strategies to engage students.

Others Combs, A. W. (1982). A personal approach to teaching: beliefs that

make a difference. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. Comer, J. (1995) Lecture given at Education Service Center, Region IV.

Houston, TX. Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction. Pearson

Education, Inc. Jenson, E. (2005) Teaching with the brain in mind. Alexandria, VA:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum. Jenson, E. (2007). www.jensonlearning.com. National Centre for Children in Poverty. (2006) Basic facts about low-

income children: birth to age 18. Nieto, S. & Bode, P. (2008) Affirming diversity the sociopolitical context

of multicultural education (5th ed.). Pearson Education, Inc. UNICEF. (2007) Child poverty in perspective: an overview of child well-

being in rich countries. Innocenti Report Card. No. 7. Florence, Italy.