Breaking the Cycle of Poverty.P65
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The Statistical Picture of Poverty Some researchers believe that the poor adopt belief The Rural School and Community Trust In 1964 President Lyndon Johnson declared “war on systems that make their lives tolerable while living in The Rural School and Community Trust is a non- poverty.” Almost simultaneously the U.S. poverty an affluent society. These beliefs become inculcated profit organization whose mission is to improve threshold definitions and formula were established. The in the society uniting its members and preventing rural schools and strengthen the relationship definitions and formula were established by Mollie them from seeking a more middle class lifestyle. An between schools and the communities they serve. In Orshansky of the Social Security Administration. The example of such a belief is having many children and 1999 Georgia participated with three other states, formula calculates the income needed to provide the having them young. Another belief is that money is an Montano, Ohio and Texas, in a study to determine if least expensive, nutritionally sound diet for everyone in expression of one’s personality and should be used for smaller schools could reduce the damaging effects a household and multiplies it by three. Each year the In Georgia, the statistics are: entertainment and relationships and not for of poverty on achievement. The researchers, Craig formula is adjusted for inflation, but the method has Low-Income Families: emergencies or to improve one’s economic status. Howley of Ohio State University and Robert Bickel remained virtually unchanged for over 40 years. 34% (382,754) of families with of Marshall University analyzed 29 different http://aspe.os.dhhs.gov/poverty/papers/hptgssiv.htm children are low-income (National: 34%). Significant Barriers Associated with Breaking the standardized test scores from 1, 626 of the Families in Poverty: 14% (157,390) of families with Cycle of Poverty approximately 1,800 schools in Georgia. The data The statistics cited are based on this formula. children are poor (National: 14%). National Center for One of the most significant barriers associated with showed strong evidence that smaller schools had a Children in Poverty, Columbia University, Mailman breaking the poverty cycle is a student’s attitude and positive impact on reducing the effects of poverty More than one-third of children in the United States School of Public Health. www.nccp.org/pub_cpf04.html beliefs. Low personal expectations and low self on achievement, i.e. the lower the income of the live in low-income families meaning their parents earn efficacy perpetuate low achievement and failure. community, the more student achievement was up to double what is considered poverty in this country. Teachers have an unconscious middle-class mindset benefited by smaller schools. www.ruraledu.org/ The federal poverty level (fpl) for a family of four Income Level of Families with about how students should talk, behave and dress. docs/sapss/nat_sum.html (2004) is $18,850. Any departure from that paradigm reflects negatively Children in Georgia • 16% of American children—more than 11 million— on the student’s ability and potential. High mobility, Traditional New Thinking lived in poor families in 2002, meaning their parents’ low education level of parents, job instability, number Learner A child who is poor A disadvantaged income was at or below the federal poverty level. of persons in the home, and lack of basic necessities and belongs to an student’s experiences These parents are typically unable to provide their result in students being detached from learning and ethnic minority has may have gaps, but build families with basic necessities like stable housing and 20% focusing their thoughts on survival. The school 66% deficiencies. on the foundation and reliable child care. culture is viewed by students as being unsupportive expand the repertoire of • 37% of American children—more than 26million— and uncaring. Students do not feel they are wanted skills and competencies. lived in low-income families in 2002. Their parents and valued in the learning environment. Bamburg Curriculum Reading, writing and The curriculum is to be made less than 200% of the federal poverty line suggests that new thinking is needed to educate 14% mathematics is taught focused on meaning and (FPL). These families often face material hardships children of poverty(J. Bamburg. NCREL in fixed sequence from understanding. Routine and financial pressures similar to those families who Monograph: Raising Expectations to Improve Student simplest to most skill learning should be are officially counted as poor. Not Low Income Near Poverty Poverty Learning, 2000). www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/ complex concepts, and balanced with novel and educatrs/leadrshp/le0bam.htm. mastery is achieved by complex tasks. Clear After a decade of decline, the rate of children living in linear progression reasons for learning low-income families is rising again, a trend that began in Perspectives on Poverty Additional research suggests that high levels of through the sequence. must be established and 2000. A different and interesting approach to characterizing poverty within the community can adversely affect skills and concepts children from poor homes is that children from poor children’s development regardless of the quality of the related and interrelated. homes lack four types of social capital. They do not individual family’s life. In a study conducted in Role of Direct teacher The most effective have a sense of academic initiative, knowing, Georgia and Iowa on 10 and 11 year old African Teacher instruction has been learning occurs when a connectedness, and well being. American children, it was found that children who the predominant mode balance exists between lived in disadvantaged communities, whether urban or of instruction. teacher-directed and student-directed rural, were more likely to associate with antisocial instruction Social Capital Explanation peers than children of more affluent areas, even when Classroom Classroom The basis for order and Academic Many students lack a school work ethic, good study the children came from supportive nurturing families. management has classroom management Initiative habits, and a high level of self discipline. Academic (G. Brody & et.al., The Influence of Neighborhood Management stressed the need for should emanate from success is not perceived as relevant to their future Disadvantage, Collective Socialization, and Parenting and Academic establishing a academics and the lives. on African American Children’s Affiliation with Work classroom climate with establishment of learning Sense of Students do not have a solid foundation upon Deviant Peers. Child Development, 72 (4), 1231- clear routines and atmospheres rather than Knowing which to build success in schools. They do not have 1246). consequences for generic rules and opportunities to thrive, which include pre-school disruptive behavior. consequences for attendance, travel, summer camps, home Another study examined how community poverty behavior. computers, tutors, music lessons, exposure to the affects high school completion rate. The data showed Classroom The traditional Flexible and temporary arts, and visits to colleges. that African American students were more adversely Organization patterns for grouping heterogeneous affected by high poverty environments than Caucasian Two out of three children in low-income families live Sense of Students feel alienated and do not have a sense of students for groupings, integration of Connectedness belonging to their community, neighborhood or or Asian American students. African American instruction are ability, supplemental services in either the South or the West. school. They do not feel that they belong at their students in high poverty areas had a graduation rate tracking and group- into regular classroom schools and do not perceive schoolwork to be of of 50%, the lowest level among the racial and ethnic based supplemental activities and maximizing • In the Northeast and Midwest, children in urban great value groups studied. (C. Swanson. Who Graduates? Who services. individual help to low- areas are more likely to live in low-income families. performing students Sense of Well- Students feel emotionally and psychologically Doesn’t? A Statistical Portrait of Public High School • In the South and West, children in rural areas are Graduation, Class of 2001, Washington, D.C. The holds more promise for more likely to live in low-income families. being insecure. Worries about the future, little hope and at-risk learners low levels of self confidence and self respect Urban Institute, 2004). http://urban.org/ Look under negate a feeling of well-being. left hand section, Most Downloaded Reports, Who Graduates? Who Doesn’t? J. Bamburg (2000) NCREL Monograph: Raising Expectations to Improve Student Learning. G. Maeroff, “Altered Destinies: Making Life Better for Children in Need” Phi Delta Kappan, February, 1998; 424-432. Public School: Key to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty understanding of the many dimensions of poverty, Poverty is one of America’s most persistent its effects and be trained in techniques and skills to problems and impacts learning and achievement help high-risk students achieve and free themselves in school perhaps greater than any other single from the limitations of poverty. Requiring all Issue Brief factor. Success in raising achievement in high children to learn has been mandated by the U. S. Professional