Generational Poverty

A Framework for Understanding

Kelly S. Compton

IU9 Summer Curriculum Institute

Goals

Empower educators with an understanding of the realities our students living in poverty

Collaborate with educators to identify effective instructional strategies for teaching students living in poverty

Help educators build resilient children in spite of the obstacles associated with living in poverty

A Framework for Understanding

Poverty

Dr. Ruby K. Payne

Credit

Workshop Objectives

1. Define poverty

2. Examine the data and conditions of poverty

3. Identify strategies to raise achievement in the classroom

4. Examine the patterns of living in generational poverty

Guiding Points

Poverty is relative.

Beware of stereotypes! Ruby Payne’s theory is based on patterns. All patterns have exceptions.

Guiding Points

Schools and businesses operate from middle-class norms and values.

Individuals bring with them the hidden rules and traits of the class in which they are raised.

Educators must not excuse students from poverty or scold them. Educators must teach all students.

Guiding Points

It is not easy to break the cycle of poverty.

Education and Relationships are essential tools for breaking out poverty.

Finally . . . What motivates a person to leave poverty?

Too painful to stay

Vision or goal

Key relationship or sponsor

Special talent or skill

Definition of Poverty

According to you, what is the definition of poverty?

Formal Definitions (Merriam – Webster)

1. The state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions

2. A lack of resources leading to the inability to acquire goods necessary for subsistence; lack of

opportunities to increase those resources.

Generational vs. Situational

Generational poverty and situational poverty are different.

Generational Poverty

Two generations

Unique culture, hidden rules, and belief systems

Attitude

(Society owes me!)

Limited number of resources

Situational Poverty

Lack of resources due to a particular event

Attitude

(Pride and refusal to

accept charity)

Additional Resources

STATISTICS

Global Poverty Rate

1.6 %- Sweden

2.8 %- Germany

4.6 %- France

7.4 %- United Kingdom

9.3 %- Canada

20.4 % - U.S.A

National Statistics

Nearly 36.5 million people in the United States live in poverty

35% (12.8 million) of America’s poor are children

State of the Child in Pennsylvania

1 in 6 children in PA is born to a mother with less than a high school diploma

1 in 6 children in PA is at risk of entering school not ready to learn

One in 3 children lives in a low-income family.

50% of the rural children in Pennsylvania live in low-income families.

Who are the students of poverty?

They are students who qualify for free and reduced meals.

How Do We Define Poverty in Education? U.S. Census Bureau

- Free and Reduced Meals - Title 1 Funding

Number of Persons in Family Unit

Yearly Income

1 $9,800

2 $13,200

3 $16,600

4 $20,000

5 $23,400

For each additional person add: $3,400

Regional Figures(2007)

Cameron County 42%

Elk County 33%

McKean County 39%

Potter County 44%

County Statistics

Percent of children under age 5 living in low-income families:

Cameron 35% (1 in 3)Elk 36.1% (1 in 3)McKean 49.9% (1 in 2)Potter 54.0% (1 in 2)

County Statistics

Births to mothers with less than a HS degree:

Cameron 7 (14%)Elk 27 (8.4%)McKean 70 (13.8%)Potter 38 (18.2%)

Local Statistics

Austin 47% Bradford 42% Cameron County 38% Coudersport 33% Galeton Area 53% Johnsonburg 38% Kane 35%

Northern Potter 45%

Oswayo Valley38%

Otto-Eldred44%

Port Allegany 38% Ridgeway

35% Saint Mary’s 28% Smethport

33%

Discussion Question

What else do we know about children living in generational poverty?

They are . . .

Children who receive little or no pre-natal care

Children who are born to teen mothers

Children who experience lower birth weights

Children who are born to mothers and fathers without a high school diploma

Children who experience more lead poisoning and iron-deficiency anemia

Children who do not have adequate nutrition

Children who receive no routine preventive medical and dental care

Children who are prone to asthma, resulting in more sleeplessness, irritability, and lack of exercise

Children who are more likely to suffer from developmental delays

And . . .

Children who live in single- parent households

Children who are being raised by grandparents

Children who visit a parent in jail

Children who may be exposed to violence on a daily basis

Children who suffer from their parents’ addictions

Children who live in substandard housing Children who switch schools often

Children who are in foster care

Children who are not read to as often as high-income peers

Children who are exposed to high levels of family stress and random discipline

They are . . .

Children who start school with poorer health, less stability, and fewer enriched experiences than high-income peers

Children who have had fewer vacations, visits to museums and zoos, music and dance lessons, opportunities to participate in organized sports leagues to develop their ambition, cultural awareness, and self-confidence

Children who do not have access to books

Children who do not know how to “play” school

Children who are at risk of dropping out of high school

Children who will likely perpetuate the cycle of poverty unless they are educated and supported by caring adults

Children who . . .

Make up an aggregated subgroup

Factor into proficiency rates on standardized tests

Stand in the way of AYP

Have been left behind

Lastly,

Children who can achieve!

“Poverty alone is not the cause of low achievement in our schools. The highest predictor of academic

achievement is the proficiency of teachers in effective instructional practice.”

(Belinda Williams)

NCLB

Strategies to Raise Achievement

List of Strategies

Assess the Resources of Students

Teach Students to Speak in Formal Register

Forge Relationships with Parents

Recognize and Teach Hidden Rules

Build Relationships of Respect with Students and Resilience

Translate the Concrete into the Abstract

Teach Students How to Ask Questions

Monitor Progress and Plan Interventions

Strategy 1

Assess the Resources of

Students

Student Resources

FINANCIAL PHYSICAL

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT SYTEMS

MENTAL RELATIONSHIPS / ROLE MODELS

SPIRITUAL KNOWLEDGE OF HIDDEN RULES

FINANCIAL

The family has the money to purchase goods and services.

EMOTIONAL

The student is able to choose and control emotional responses without engaging in self-destructive behavior.

The student is able to engage in self-

talk and demonstrate the ability to focus on the issue.

MENTAL

The student has the mental abilities and acquired skills (reading, writing, and computing) to deal with daily life.

SPIRITUAL

The student believes in a higher power. The student knows that he or she has a divine purpose in

life.

PHYSICAL

The student is in good physical health and can get around town.

SUPPORT SYTEMS

The student has friends, family members, and backup resources available to access in times

of need.

RELATIONSHIPS / ROLE MODELS

The student has access to adults who are appropriate, nurturing, and do not engage in self-destructive behavior.

KNOWLEDGE OF HIDDEN RULES

The student knows the unspoken cues and habits of the school community.

Strategy 2

Teach Students to Speak in Formal Register

Registers of Language

Five Registers of Language

→ FROZEN

→ FORMAL

→ CONSULATIVE

→ CASUAL

→ INTIMATE

Discourse Patterns

Formal – Register Discourse Pattern

Speaker or writer gets straight to the the point.

Casual-Register Discourse Pattern

Speaker or Writer goes around the issue before finally coming to the point.

Strategy 3

Forge Relationships

with Parents

Understanding Family Roles Fighter / Lover

Caretaker / Rescuer

Worker

Storyteller

Keeper of the Soul

Dispelling the Myths of Poverty

MYTH: Poor people are unmotivated and have weak

work ethics

FACT: 83% of children from low-income families

have at least one parent working

FACT: Many poor adults must work two, three, or

four jobs.

Dispelling the Myths of Poverty

MYTH: Poor parents are uninvolved in their children’s learning because they do not value education.

FACT: Low-income parents are less likely to attend school functions because they work multiple jobs, work evenings, have jobs without paid leave, cannot afford child care, do not have access to public transportation, or have had negative personal school experiences

FACT: Many low-income parents may not know how to support their child’s learning

Understanding High-Mobility Rates from the Perspective of Parents

Housing Problems Searching for work Running from problems

Abusive relationships Criminal records Financial responsibility Child Protective Services

Doubling Up

Understanding High-Mobility Rates from the Perspective of Teachers

Test Scores

Consistency of Instruction

Reduce sense of belonging

Reduce academic attachment

Understanding Types of Parents

1. Career-Oriented

2. Very Involved in School Activities

3. Single Parent Working Two or Three Jobs

4. Grandparent

5. Parents with Overwhelming Personal Issues

6. Divorced Parents

7. Surrogate Parents

8. Children who are their own Parent

The BIG Question . . .

What can we do to better support families living in generational poverty?

We can . . .

Welcome Parents into the school building Install User-Friendly Phone Systems Use humor (not sarcasm) with parents Deliver bad news through a story Use language that is understandable Offer a cup of coffee to parents Use an adult voice Be personally strong . . . But do not “gang up” on parents Say to parents, “We know that you care about your child, or you

wouldn’t be here. We also care about your child and we are hoping you can help us communicate this message to your child.”

Strategy 4

Recognize and

Teach

Hidden Rules

Hidden Rules

Hidden Rules are the unspoken cues, habits, and values of a group.

Knowledge of hidden rules impact students’ achievement in schools and success in the workplace.

Major Hidden Rules Among Classes Poverty

Middle Class

Wealth

Where is your comfort zone?

Life Areas

Possessions Money

Personality Social Emphasis

Food Clothing

Time Education

Destiny Language

Family Structure World View

Love Driving Force

Strategy 5

Build Relationships

of Respect

with Students

The Importance of Relationships

“No significant learning occurs without a significant relationship.”

James Comer (1995)

ABC News – A Hidden America: Children of the Mountains

What are the stories of the students in your classroom? How do your students’ circumstances compare to the conditions depicted in the broadcast?

How do YOU build relationships with students living in generational poverty?

How can you show students that you care? Call your students by name, especially in the hall and out in

the community. Say “Hi!”

Answer your students’ questions, even if you already answered it.

Talk to your students respectfully, even if they disrespect you.

Notice your students. Notice their new haircuts, clothes, body piercings, and attitudes.

Feed your students.

Listen to your students.

Relationships and Learning

Classrooms should be high in challenge and low in threat.

Intensive teaching and learning is best done in groups of six or fewer children.

Thirty minutes of intensive, close-up teaching is as valuable as several hours of whole group instruction.

Cooperative and shared decision making promotes a community of learners.

Students from low-incomes families may not enjoy competitions in the classroom, unless they are sure to win.

Strategy 6

Translate the

Concrete

into the Abstract

Success in School

Requires students to learn two sets of hidden rules

Requires students to utilize a variety of resources

Requires students to translate the abstract to the concrete

Mental Models and Graphic Organizers Translate information

from the abstract to the concrete

Learn abstract information more quickly

Hold abstract information in their head

Sort information

Understand a discipline or field of study

Understand the structure, purpose, or pattern of a body of knowledge

Examples . . .

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Need

Another Way of Seeing Anchors

PA Academic Standards

Assessment Anchors

A Graphic OrganizerPA Academic Standards

Reporting Categories

Assessment Anchors

Descriptors

Eligible Content

Not An Example

Example

Strategy 7

Teach Students

How to Ask

Questions

Question 1

Which word best describes ___________ reaction when he ___________________?

A. boastful

B. surprised

C. inspired

D. reserved

Question 2

The passage is mostly organized by

A. cause and effect.

B. sequence of events

C. problem and solution

D. comparison and contrast

Question 3

Based on the passage, readers can conclude that . . .

A. Distracter

B. Not even close!

C. Answer

D. Distracter

Question 4

What does the word __________mean as used in the passage?

A. unkind

B. neutral

C. doubtful

D. recorded

Question 5Which sentence best summarizes article?

Question 6Which of these sentences indicates that the passage is written from a first-person point of view?

A. “When local officials arrived for an appraisal, they discovered that the house had a backyard, which is forbidden by

zoning restrictions.”

B. “In the yard was a live tree – an oak was what Mom called it.”

C. “On the way back, Mom and Dad were silent, and I read through one of the brochures the guide had passed out.”

D. “It had none of the marble gloss or steely sheen of modern buildings, but was rather a dull white color, with the paint peeling in places.

Question 7Read the following sentence from the passage.

“You could see details more intricate than in any manmade plant.”

Which of these words is an antonym of intricate?

A. simple

B. modern

C. colorful

D. precise

Question 8What is the purpose of the passage?

A.to explain how to paint the morning

B.to describe the colors used to paint the morning

C.to show that it takes time to paint the morning

D.to tell a story about a girl trying to paint the morning

Question 9Which of these is an opinion?

A.“Nearly all diamonds are colorless.”

B.“Most businesses no longer buy costly natural diamonds.”

C.“The beautiful blue Hope diamond brings bad luck to its owner.”

D.“Diamonds are measured by their weight in carats.”

Question 10Based on their actions, how could the Austin

family be described? Use at least two examples from the passage to support your answer.

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

___________________________________________

Strategy 8

Monitor

Progress and

Plan Interventions

Steps to the Schoolwide Process

Chart student performance and analyze data by subgroups and individuals

Determine which content is the most critical for future learning

Use instructional strategies that have the highest payoff.

Use rubrics and benchmark tests to identify how well students are mastering standards

Steps to the Schoolwide Process

Identify learning gaps and choose appropriate interventions. (Extra instruction time, supportive relationships, mental models, and questioning strategies

Build a Professional Learning Community to discuss data and plan interventions.

The Bottom Line

1. How does poverty affect learning?

2. What can educators do to enhance the well-being of children living in poverty?

3. What can educators do to improve the achievement of those with limited resources?

4. How do we break the cycle of poverty?

The Answer . . . Be insistent . . .Do not make excuses Maintain High Expectations Assess student resources Respect Hidden Rules Develop caring relationships with students and

their families Serve as appropriate role models Use mental models and teach questioning strategies Deliver target instruction based on students’ needs

Goals

Empower educators with an understanding of the realities our students living in poverty

Collaborate with educators to identify effective instructional strategies for teaching students living in poverty

Help educators build resilient children in spite of the obstacles associated with living in poverty

Workshop Objectives

1. Define poverty

2. Examine the data and conditions of poverty

3. Identify strategies to raise achievement in the classroom

4. Examine the patterns of living in generational poverty

Thank You!