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The Work of Ruby Payne

Dr. Jeff Sapp

Interactive Activity

l On each of the butcher paper sheets on the walls, write down two words or phrases that describe students that come from the three listed socio-economic classes:

l Poverty l Middle Class l Wealth

Interactive Activity Analysis

l  Do these descriptors reveal any deficit assumptions of students who come from poor or working class backgrounds?

l  Where do you think these assumptions come from?

l  What specific impact do you think assumptions of this nature have on how we teach children from different socio-economic class backgrounds?

Comparing Activity Assumptions with Payne’s Hidden Rulesl  According to Ruby Payne, the ‘hidden rules’

of social class are generally known only to people in those social classes. Each group has a set of ‘hidden rules’ that members of other groups don’t know, and may not even suspect exist. Payne has developed a chart, showing how the “rules” of each group affect their lives and thinking. (From Payne, Ruby, (2001) Framework for Understanding Poverty aha! Process Inc., Highlands, TX)

Generational Poverty Middle Class Wealth

The driving forces for decision-making are survival, relationships, and entertainment.

The driving forces for decision-making are work and achievement.

The driving forces for decision-making are social, financial, and political connections.

People are possessions. It is worse to steal someone’s girlfriend than a thing. A relationship is valued over achievement. That’s why you must defend your child no matter what he or she has done. Too much education is feared because the individual might leave.

Things are possessions. If material security is threatened, often the relationship is broken.

Legacies, one-of-a-kind objects, and pedigrees are possessions.

The “world” is defined in local terms. The “world” is defined in national terms.

The “world” is defined in international terms.

Physical fighting is how conflict is resolved. If you only know casual register, you don’t have the words to negotiate a resolution. Respect is accorded to those who can physically defend themselves.

Fighting is done verbally. Physical fighting is viewed with distaste.

Fighting is done through social inclusion/exclusion and through lawyers.

Food is valued for it quantity. Food is valued for its quality.

Food is valued for its presentation.

Generational Poverty Middle Class Wealth

You laugh when you are disciplined; it is a way to save face.

Formal register is always used in an interview and is often an expected part of social interaction.

The artistic and aesthetic are key to the lifestyle and include clothing, art, interior design, seasonal décor, food, music, social activities, etc.

The noise level is higher, nonverbal information is more important than verbal. Emotions are openly displayed, and the value of personality to the group is your ability to entertain.

Work is a daily part of life.

For reasons of security and safety, virtually all contacts are dependent on connection and introductions.

Destiny and fate govern. The notion of having choices is foreign. Discipline is about penance and forgiveness, not change.

Discipline is about changing behavior. To stay in the middle class, one must be self-governing & self-supporting.

Education is for the purpose of social, financial & political connections, as well as to enhance the artistic & aesthetic.

Tools are often not available. Therefore, the concepts of repair and fixing may not be present.

Choice is a key concept in the lifestyle. The future is very important. Formal education is seen as crucial for future success.

One of the key differences between the well-to-do & the wealthy is that the wealthy almost always are patrons of the arts & often have individual artists they support.

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Comparison…

l What similarities and differences do you see between Ruby Payne’s hidden rules and the descriptors we generated for each socio-economic class?

Challenging the Hidden Rules

Reading Between the Lines: Ruby Payne’s Perspective

l  The goal of formal education is academic success as defined by members of the white dominated, upper middle class.

l  The cultural scripts that students need to embrace to achieve this success include developing a linear/direct communication style, emotional reserve, respect for people in authority regardless of how they treat others, not talking back to authority, and giving up “inappropriate” relationships.

l  These scripts make up what we call “cultural whiteness”: If embraced, cultural whiteness insures that students do not disrupt the status quo.

Structural Functionalism

•  Ruby Payne is swimming in the waters of whiteness.•  These waters—her hidden rules— are invisible to her.•  Within these waters, she sees the education system as

basically functional and benign, although it glorifies the rules of conduct and values of whiteness as a superior set of cultural scripts.

•  More and more public schools are demanding conformity to one-size-fits-all scripted and generic thoughts and behaviors, as the appropriate way to achievement and acceptance.

The Way to Conformity and Success

l Payne encourages teachers to embrace her cognitive and discipline strategies to control students and make sure they conform to the existing cultural model.

l Payne implies that all children who live in generational poverty need to do is learn the cultural scripts of whiteness that characterize the public school system to be successful.

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Payne’s Contradictions: e.g. Dualistic Thinking

l  The categories Ruby Payne uses are simplistic, reductive and confused.

l  For example, she attributes polarized thinking to people in generational poverty: “Options are hardly ever examined. Everything is polarized, it is one way or the other.”

l  On the other hand, Payne herself expresses dualistic thinking when she advocates giving students in generational poverty “desirable or not desirable” choices.

l  From her middle class stance, Payne is advocating the use of polarization as an educational strategy, after having attributed negativity to polarized thinking when used by people in generational poverty. (This is akin to “found” & “looted” during Katrina.)

Ideology l  As a result of her simplistic analysis, Payne labels students in

terms of broad class categories, while failing to acknowledge the power of race and racism on the psyche of all people in the United States.

l  Payne also generalizes from a small number of particular cases, failing to recognize the cultural complexity within and between racial-ethnic, social class, and gender groups in the United States.

l  Payne fails to adequately represent the valuable “funds of knowledge”/cultural resources that are located in low income, ethnic “minority” families.

l  Payne’s thesis represents stereotypes that are hegemonic in their seductive appeal to teachers.

l  Her strategies are seen by many as solutions to the complex relationships and challenges they face in their classrooms.

Luis Moll’s “Funds of Knowledge” Moll researched the lives of working-class Mexican-American students & their families in the barrio schools of Tucson, AZ. He gathered data about the origin, use, & distribution of the knowledge & skills in the community. He also talked with individual family members to learn the personal & labor history of the family. The home investigations revealed that many families had abundant knowledge that the schools did not know about – & therefore didn’t use in order to teach academic skills. In general, the barrio families knew about agriculture & mining, economics, household management, materials & science, medicine, & religion. He found that rural families new a lot about the cultivation of plants, animals, ranch management, mechanics, carpentry, masonry, electrical wiring, & medical folk remedies. They also had some entrepreneurial skills & were familiar with archeology, biology, & mathematics.

Luis Moll’s “Funds of Knowledge” More important, the families shared what they knew. Their knowledge, according to Moll, was “available & accessible through social networks of exchange.” Moll described these networks as “truly formidable.” He noted that once they are uncovered & mobilized for learning, they can become a social & intellectual resource for a school.

But back to Pain…um, I mean Payne…

Critiquing the Culture of Power

•  Ruby Payne offers no critique of the current corporate culture of power or its historical situatedness.

•  She offers no critique of the marginalization of ethnic culture or the impact of race and racism on the experience of children in schools.

•  She offers no critique of the impact slavery and capitalism have had on the strategies different groups have adopted to survive in US society.

•  She offers no critique of the role the media plays in fostering anti-literacy and creating a false association between literacy and whiteness.

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But is the Current Public School Culture Worth Wanting?

l  Payne talks rhetorically about an “additive” approach, but also states that “an individual must give up relationships for achievement (at least for some period of time).”

l  This is “not worth wanting” to many students if it means they have to “leave themselves at the classroom door.”

l  In spite of the lack of critical thinking taught in today’s scripted classrooms, many students raised in poverty have a strong sense that public schools function to serve interests other than their own.

Section Two: Critique of Cultural Deficit Theory���

Payne on the discourse of the generational poor

l  When comparing the discourse of the generational poor to the “formal” register exhibited by the middle class, Payne argues that the discourse of the generational poor lacks “sequence, order, cause and effect, and a conclusion.”

What is wrong with this?

Payne’s view on language

l  Poor students “meander almost endlessly” causing teachers great frustration.

l  Language is about “survival” for the generational poor and about “negotiation” for the middle class.

Deficit Theory on Language Learning

l  Deficit theory doesn’t account for the complex institutional and structural inequities reproduced within this society

l  Stereotypes about ‘difference’ are reinforced and reproduced.

l  Schools respond to corporate interests and we live in a political environment that denigrates minority languages.

l  Linguistic deficit models: The language of the student is the ‘problem’ and the root cause of poor educational achievement. Certain cultures value an education and others do not.

l  Inequity, poverty, and inequality is blamed on the marginalized.

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Language Varieties

l  Language varieties differ from the standard, but not significantly. All Languages have structure and discourse pattern (sequence, cause and effect)--it may not be linear.

l  Language varieties have a linguistic and cultural wealth that reflect the cultural capital of the community. Language varieties are a vital form of communication and enable a person to keep strong ties with their community. It is an expression of their resilience that helps them to maintain their cultural ties despite centuries of oppression.

l  All language varieties contain formal and casual registers. l  Students have the right to maintain this cultural capital and

learn the standard form as well. l  Schools can affirm the students’ linguistic wealth and build

upon it to promote the use of the standard.

Lisa Delpit

Not just about language instruction

l  Scripted programs are deficit models, at best; hegemonic language practices, at worst. –  Open Court and Language! –  Remedial approach tracks students into non-college

programs

l  Hegemony: Domination, influence, or authority over another, especially by one political group over a society

Critical Education

l  All language knowledge is created within historical context and schooling is not neutral.

l  The history of our students includes a history of repression, silencing and power relations.

l  The purpose of schooling is to have our students conform, develop historical amnesia, and assimilate.

l  All students have the capacity to conform or resist. It is our responsibility to create the opportunities for our students to reflect, name their positions, dialogue, and resist. Antonia Darder

Sonia Nieto (John Ogbu & Signithia Fordham) l Theory of Resistance/Cultural

Oppositional Theory – Suggests that ethnic-minority groups in

the U.S. fall into 2 categories: (1) voluntary minorities are those that came to the U.S. of their own free will and (2) involuntary minorities are those whose ancestors were brought to the U.S. by force or those who were forced into ethnic minority status by military force.

l Voluntary minorities often hold positive beliefs about the dominant society and, as a result, are more likely to adopt the attitudes and practices of the dominant group. Involuntary minorities see adopting the dominant attitudes or behaviors as supporting their oppression.

Critical Literacy

l  “Students read to learn, not simply learn to read.” l  The emphasis is on critical and creative thought. l  Utilizes the students’ prior knowledge as the starting point. l  Students understand and interpret the content of a given subject area—

beginning with what they already know and move towards what they can change.

l  Reading strategy that not only focuses on understanding the material, more importantly it incorporates critical thinking skills.

l  Transforms the given subject area and/or content area topic into a socially relevant, comprehensible, and meaningful topic.

l  “Literacy is grounded in the experiences of the students, making it possible for a wide range of possibilities for personal and cultural identity formation” and for the comprehension and “generation of knowledge”

l  Student’s primary language and form of discourse is respected, tapped and affirmed. Definition by T. Montaño and quotes taken from Hilda Hernandez (1997) Teaching in Multilingual Classrooms: A Teacher’s guide to context, process and content

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A Critical Worldview

l  Education is not NEUTRAL l  Encourages students and teachers to develop an understanding of the relationships

between ideology, culture, hegemony and power l  Teachers are transformative educators committed to radically changing the “traditional”

curriculum l  Teachers are committed to transforming society and to economic democracy and social

justice. l  Central to critical pedagogy is the development of student voice, even if this voice challenges

the perspective of the educator. l  The key process of critical pedagogy includes dialogue, reflection and social action l  Recognize the inequality and poverty are not “relative”, but “reinforced” and “reproduced”

by social and political forces intent on maintaining status quo. l  Changes in inequitable conditions will only change through political action. l  In critical pedagogy, knowledge and meaning are dialogical and constructed collaboratively

(teacher and students, student and teacher, teacher and community, etc)

Teacher’s role

l  Raise consciousness of the students surroundings from a resistance perspective.

l  Facilitate reflection and create opportunities for our students to reflect on their positionality and what they can do about it.

l  In other words, we learn to reflect upon the injustices, name them, and create an opportunity for students and selves to engage in critical dialogue in order to understand the world and change it.

Look at our Schools

l  Re-segregation of schools, limited access to higher education

l  Deculturation of the curriculum, scripted curriculum

l  Top-down hierarchy, top down control, power, tracking

l  Control over content of teachers, students, poor students

l  English only, monocultural view in multi-lingual world

Section IV:

Implementing Alternatives to Ruby Payne

Striking Back at the Empire: What will you do?

l  What is happening at your school site? Talk to colleagues, administrators, parents, community members. Be courageous, take risks. What kinds of practices and policies support equity and diversity and language variety? Which do not?

Striking Back at the Empire: What will you do?

l  Solutions: Develop an anti-racist, inquiry based pedagogy, curriculum. Take time to discuss, raise questions, evaluate practices

l  Evaluate your school for equity and diversity: arc.org The Social Justice Report Card (Applied Research Center, Oakland, CA)

l  Support “living wage” campaigns. l  Support efforts to eliminate barriers to the recruitment of

teachers of color (see the work of Kitty Kelly Epsteing; See also Programs like Project Quest, Sonoma State University)

l  Support ongoing antiracism, white privilege work

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Critical Multicultural Pedagogies of Empowerment

1.  Implementing a "Critical Multicultural Pedagogy of Empowerment"

2.  ”Funds of Knowledge”/Strength-based research (resiliency and resourcefulness)

3.  Helping kids from low-income backgrounds and their families understand "the culture of power” [See the work of Lisa Delpit]

4.  Developing critical multicultural social justice learning plans

Implementing a "Critical Multicultural Pedagogy of Empowerment"

1.  Recognizing class bias in education; 2.  Understanding the nature and effects of

polarization of wealth; 3.  Developing a political vision and the ability to

organize the poor into resistance; 4.  Developing the knowledge and skills to escape

poverty. [Taken from Joe Kincheloe and Shirley Steinberg's article entitled, "The Importance of Class in Multiculturalism"]

5.  Recognizing ways in which the law has historically supported whiteness/neo-colonial social-economic and political structures and practices [See Critical Race Theory].

Funds of Knowledge/Strength-Based Research [(See the work of Luis Moll and Norma Gonzalez)

l  Through Funds of Knowledge, teachers visit students’ homes

and communities as learners with the goal of becoming informed about the rich knowledge, skills, and expertise that reside there.

l  Through "Strength Based Research," teachers investigate and publish information about the strengths, resiliency, and resourcefulness of low-income people that make it possible for them to survive.

l  Knowledge learned from these research projects is used as the basis for rich, culturally relevant learning experiences/curricula.

l  In both projects, the focus is on the positive aspects of students’ cultural backgrounds, including the culture of poor people, rather than on "cultural deficit.”

Helping kids from low-income backgrounds and their families understand "the culture of power” [See the work of Lisa Delpit] 1.   Understanding that issues of power are enacted

in the classroom; 2.   Recognizing that there are codes and rules for

participating in the culture of power (ie. Standard English);

3.   Understanding that the rules of the culture of power are a reflection of those who have power (ie. whiteness cultural scripts & middle class value systems);

4.   Being told explicitly the rules of the culture of power makes acquiring power easier;

5.   Recognizing that those with less power are often most aware of the culture of power and its existence and implications.

Developing critical multicultural

social justice learning plans ���

l  Student teachers work within grade level groups to research critical multicultural teaching, learning and assessment strategies that address the needs of real children in classroom settings.

l  They develop one complex learning plan per student the content of which addresses the nature and practice of race and ethnicity (culture), gender, sexual orientation, family structure, class, language, ability/disability (exceptionality), the media, and religion.

l  Learning plans emphasize critical multicultural goals and assessments associated with critical multicultural teaching strategies. They also meet to state literacy and numeracy standards.

l  Student teachers integrate their learning plans into a mini-unit that teaches children about social justice, equity and caring.

Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review… For too long, educators’ approach to understanding the relationships between poverty, class and education has been framed by studying the behaviors and cultures of poor students and their families. If only we – in the middle class & upper-middle classes – can understand their culture, why those people don’t value education, why those parents don’t attend our functions & meetings, why those kids are so unmotivated, perhaps we can “save” some of our economically disadvantaged students from bleak futures before them. It’s all too easy to help perpetuate classism by buying into that mindset…one that suggests that we must fix the poor people instead of eliminating the inequalities that oppress them.

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Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review… The question, then, is do we choose to study supposed cultures or mindsets of poverty because doing so doesn’t require us to examine our own class-based prejudices? By avoiding this question, we also avoid the messy, painful work of analyzing how classism pervades our classrooms and schools.

Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review… What does it mean, for example, that high-poverty schools: l  Have more teachers teaching outside their areas of

certification than low-poverty schools do? l  That they’re more likely to lack full access to computers

and the Internet? l  That they have inadequate facilities and classroom

materials? l  Or that students in high-poverty schools are more likely

than their wealthier counterparts to be subjected to overcrowded classrooms, dirty or inoperative bathrooms, less rigorous curricula and encounters with vermin such as rats and cockroaches?

l  Or that these students are more likely to attend schools with high teacher turnover and low teacher salaries?

Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review… These items show us that the system is

stacked against some more than

others. We must confront this at every level. But how?

Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review… On an individual level, we can: l  Assign work requiring computer & Internet access or other

costly resources only when we can provide in-school time & materials for such work to be completed;

l  Work with our schools to make parent involvement affordable & convenient by providing transportation, on-site childcare & time flexibility;

l  Give students from poverty access to the same high-level curricular & pedagogical opportunities & high expectations as their wealthy peers;

l  Teach about classism, consumer culture, labor unions, environmental pollution & other injustices that disproportionately affect the poor;

Whew! That’s a lot! So, let’s review…

On an individual level, we can: l  Keep stocks of school supplies & food & clothing, but find quiet

ways to distribute these resources; l  Develop curricula that are relevant & meaningful to our

students’ lives and draw on their experiences & surroundings; l  Fight to get our students into gifted & talented programs usually

reserved for economically advantaged students; l  Continue to reach out to parents even when we feel they’re

being unresponsive – this establishes trust; l  Challenge our colleagues when they stigmatize the poor & their

parents, reminding them of the inequitable conditions; l  And last of all, continue to challenge our own biases &

prejudices.

Maxine Greene

“Only a teacher in search of her/his freedom can inspire others to go in search of their freedom.”