Topic > The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning

“Let my body dwell in poverty, and let my hands be as the hands of a laborer; but let my soul be as a temple of remembrance where the treasures of knowledge enter, and the inner sanctuary is hope” (Eliot & Hardy, 1967). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay There are many reasons why people might have learning disabilities. Some of them have nothing to do with poverty, but unfortunately poverty has a negative effect on many families and the way students learn. Poverty can be a key factor in learning in the classroom and at home. While programs exist to help families, many continue to struggle with poverty. Unfortunately, this appears to be a generational problem among families who continue the trend of poverty, whether due to systemic issues or other reasons. Statistically, unless parents become a driving force in the lives of themselves and their children, many will continue to live in poverty, which will have negative consequences. adverse effects. With assistance and knowledge of resources from educators and the community, families can have the opportunity to improve their lives and the lives of their children. Parents and teachers can work together to help students academically. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were already behind their peers in terms of linguistic, social and emotional development. Social class at birth therefore remains a reliable indicator of the educational input that children will receive throughout their childhood. This achievement gap is a major factor in perpetuating the social divide and patterns of social mobility within society. It is very difficult to break the barriers of social mobility, but it can be achieved through determination and hard work. According to Fass, Dinan and Aratani (2009) “42% of children born to parents belonging to the poorest fifth of the economic distribution remain at the bottom as adults and another 23% rise only to the second fifth, while 39% of children born to parents at the top of the income distribution remains at the top, with another 23 percent moving into the second fifth.” The United States has more children living in poverty than any other industrialized nation. More than a quarter of all children grow up in poverty. Nearly 50% of minority children live in poverty. Children from the highest socioeconomic group entering kindergarten have cognitive scores 60% higher than those from the lowest socioeconomic group.” According to the NCES, students living in poverty are 16 percent less likely to graduate than their peers who do not live in poverty. Research has shown that poverty is one of the factors contributing to illiteracy, which results in few reading resources for children in poorer areas. Despite the United States' image as a land of opportunity, access to educational opportunities is often limited for many children living in poverty. Noguera and Wells (2011) described three ways in which concentrated poverty directly impacts student academic performance. “First, students living in poverty generally have limited access to academic and social supports (e.g., tutors, academic enrichment opportunities, summer learning experiences, and homework support) outside of school. Second, these students are often exposed to conditions that affect their health, safety, and well-being (e.g.,limited access to healthcare, food instability, poor housing conditions and decrepit neighborhoods). Third, parents of students (and the schools they serve) living in poverty typically do not have access to high levels of social capital due to exposure to adverse conditions (e.g., shortages of potential partner organizations, leaders community, local services and social networks). in some communities).” “Combined, these poverty-related factors pose serious challenges to students' academic development. While living in poverty does not define a child's ability to succeed in school, it can certainly have a significant impact on academic performance and achievement." It is also known that effective parenting is crucial for children to thrive. Parents are the main factor that contributes to their children's academic success. As part of this Government's commitment to making our society more family-friendly, it sets out how we will improve relationships and support for parenting. According to Duncan (1994) “children who are not in a home learning environment are at a disadvantage because they lack the basic information and skills needed to be at the same level as other children who enter school and are the same age as them” . While this is the case for many children, not all poor students lack basic information. It just means that children from a poorer family may not have or know that specific resources are available to them compared to their counterparts such as books, technology, libraries, tutoring and experiences. Research shows that parents are familiar with the resources. “Academically resilient students are students who are academically successful despite coming from low socioeconomic status backgrounds.” Teachers have a significant impact on the academic performance of gifted students. Teachers have found that it is very pertinent to recognize the importance of the home culture that students bring to the classroom. Consequently, the need for teachers to become more culturally competent was also discussed. Health, education and literacy are closely related; when children receive a basic education, healthier families are created. Children living in poverty arrive at school hungry, often sick, with little energy, without motivation or confidence, and are therefore ill-prepared for learning. Available research suggests that behavioral problems occur at higher rates in children living in poverty and can have long-term consequences. negative outcomes if not identified and adequately treated. According to Soares (2010), who drew on data from several thousand children, “found that 35% of children from the poorest fifth of families had clinical-level symptoms of behavioral problems by age three, compared to 15% of those in the four highest groups.” -fifths of the income distribution. At age seven, 22% still had behavioral problems, compared to 10% of those from wealthier families.” Unfortunately, we see this in the classroom where students who come from families of poverty have seen parents have difficulties with authority figures such as police officers, courts, and child services. Since at this age, parents are the main contributing factor in a child's life, it can be assumed that if a parent has difficulties with authority, such as in and out of the prison system or other related areas, students begin to understand that it is not necessary to obey authority, which can be considered a behavioral problem at school.This behavior may be considered defiant and rebellious in the classroom and may make this student difficult to teach, which may impact learning. Since this research shows that schools are not the primary contributing factor at this age, we should assume that behaviors at this age would be introduced at home. “Low-income families are at greater risk of family and social stressors (e.g., job loss, poor-quality child care, inadequate supervision, unaddressed medical problems, maternal mental health issues, and poor neighborhoods). safe) which in turn negatively affect parenting practices which have been found to be related to the development and exacerbation of behavioral problems in children". Therefore, it is so important as educators to have a relationship with families. To have a connection with families can create an opening where teachers can offer resources. These resources can be contacts for jobs, education, child care, and food and housing assistancethe most needed item in both classrooms and homes. The most specific needs were bilingual books , magazines, newspapers, pens, pencils, paper, current maps and globes, art supplies, educational videotapes and computers. At our school we have book fairs where students can purchase books and other items. Our PTO offers students who cannot afford books to receive a coupon that allows them to get books for free. I know several teachers who purchase books for their students to take home as long as they promise to read them. Parents and local libraries will also donate books and school supplies to students living in poverty. At our school, local churches and other organizations will accept donations for students who need school supplies such as pencils, paper, etc. Students would then see that the community and educators value them and their ability to succeed. Unfortunately, due to where we live, school districts have limited funding for students. This is a problem that has plagued Ohio for decades. Inequity in school funding impacts resources within the school but, fortunately, we have a phenomenal community that rallies behind our students offering support and resources. There have been times when residents of poorer districts have filed lawsuits against their school districts accusing them of violating the constitutional rights of children in poorer districts to an equal education, but unfortunately many districts have no control over how many money they receive. Therefore, it is so important that students have the support of their parents and community in order to thrive. For students living in poverty, break from school can bring hidden challenges that school psychologists should be aware of when preparing for the holidays. Research has shown “that school disruptions affect students from different socioeconomic status (SES) levels differently, causing a growing achievement gap between students living above and below the poverty line.” “Low SES students experience summer learning loss, and variability in outcomes has historically been found among SES groups returning to school after the summer break.” The loss of achievement that occurs with poor students during the summer break has been attributed to lack of exposure to school resources. School disruptions can and do negatively impact poor students' ability to keep up with their peers academically.