Teaching Promising Students Who Live In PovertyLisa L. SwopeRadford City Public SchoolsSpring 2013

Based on Conference Proceedings from the National Leadership Conference on Low-Income Promising Learners, edited by Joyce Van Tassel-Baska and Tamra Stambaugh and published by the National Association for Gifted Children and the Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary

Some flowers are planted, nurtured, and grow into what they were created to be.

Rooted, nurtured, optimal conditions creates an easier path to success

Others must overcome great obstacles if they are to survive at all.

Insecure attachment, neglect, less than optimal environment creates obstacles to success

Children of plenty have early needs met, are nurtured, and are primed to reach their full potential.

Primed to reach full potential

Children of poverty have needs that are unmet, are often neglected, and their potential is rarely realized.

Unmet needs and undeveloped potential

Poverty in the United StatesThe U.S. has more poor children

than any developed nation in the world

One in five children is poor; one in four children in school is poor

One third of all children born in 2000 will experience poverty at some point in their lives

America’s ChildrenLevel Definition Annual

IncomePercent of 73 Million U.S. Children

Low-Income Family income two times the Federal Poverty Level

$40,000 for a family of four

About 22% or 16 million

Child Poverty Family income below the Federal Poverty Level

$20,000 for a family of four

About 11% or 8 million

Extreme Child Poverty

Family income below half the Federal Poverty Level

$10,000 for a family of four

About 7% or 5 million

Some Truths of PovertyThere is no “typical” low income

student; poverty’s effects depend on when poverty occurs, the depth of poverty, and its duration

Poverty is not caused by a student’s membership in a specific race or ethnic group; it is based on their family’s income level

Some Truths of PovertyThe poor move often; 22% of children

under five have moved in the past year

14% of the GDP is spent on health care (more than any other nation) and the U.S. is 24th in life expectancy

In Texas and Arizona, only 25% of the state’s citizens have health insurance

One in five children has no health insurance

Some Truths of Poverty47% of poor families are headed

by a working single mother16.9% of US children are poor;

9.7% of people over 65 are poor; and 11.8% of all other ages are poor

Poverty amplifies all other negative factors in a child’s life

Obstacles to EducationThe poor often feel they have

little control over fateSuffer from low self-worthHave seen unhealthy

generational patterns modeled in their households

Parents’ low educational levelsSpecific negative cultural

attitudes toward school and learning

Students Face Obstacles to EducationFamily obligations beyond achievement

in school No money for extra educational

opportunitiesLow family expectations (and lower

teacher expectations)Peer group influenceLow SES schools tend to focus only on

teaching to the test, leading to underachievement for the “invisible” gifted child

The Invisible Gifted Child

How to Serve Promising Students of PovertyChallenge through a rigorous

curriculumRaise expectationsIncorporate a triad of support:

teacher/mentor/parentAccess to extra-curricular

academic programsEarly intervention (quality pre-

school)

Effective Identification Procedures Non-biased testingMultiple assessment measuresAllow anyone to refer students

Effective CurriculumChallenging and rigorousBuilt-in support strategiesOpportunities for creativityOpportunities outside the

classroom (summer enrichment experiences, field trips, etc.)

Effective Instruction Hands-on science Flexible grouping Early algebra (calculus before

graduation) Advanced curriculum Advanced Placement Dual Enrollment Family involvement Outside opportunities (Jack Kent Cook

Foundation; Gates Foundation; Summer Residential Governor’s Schools)

Effective InstructionRigor, Rigor, RigorOpportunity to “test out”Enriching contentProblem-based learningEngaging researchOpportunities to examine data

and to question assumptionsTeach study skills

Effective SupportPreparing for college (financial

forms, applications)Involve families and mentorsPublicize scholarship

opportunities for summer and after-school programs (Virginia Association for the Gifted)

Steer toward help for the psychological and emotional issues that come from poverty

ChallengesMost talent is nurtured or lost between

birth and five years of age; much giftedness in poor children is emergent and must be nurtured before it can be identified

While crime rates are down, infant murder continues to soar….an infant is ten times more likely to die on the day of his birth than any other day in his life. Income data is a good predictor of who lives or dies

ChallengesA haphazard approach to

childcare and pre-school programs in the U.S.

When all children are in a high quality pre-school together, children of privilege and children of poverty do equally well

Our ChallengesUnderfunded schools….students in poor

areas report an average 38 books in the home; students in prosperous areas report an average of 108 books in the home

Less public money is spent on poorer schools than on wealthier schools

Teaching to the test is most common in poor schools; minimum competency requirements stress being adequate, and not reaching toward a student’s highest potential

Our ChallengesResearch has done an incomplete job

sorting out the multiple causes and effects of poverty, making it harder to develop strategies to compensate

Teachers struggle to implement strategies to help promising students of poverty due to the current focus on standards assessment

Only 1/3 of homes have children; reluctance of voters to support funding for education

Effective Coping Strategies of Promising Students of PovertyConfrontingReframingPersisting“Showing” themWorking harderArmoringIgnoring

From One Who Made It

“Poverty. Oh, it’s the absolute truth. It had to do more with the impact on your self-concept. I wore hand-me-down clothes…It was a struggle just to look nice everyday. You look at folks, and I knew I was smarter than they were, but they had so much more. That was probably one of the biggest obstacles, along with favoritism toward young women with long hair and light skin.

From One Who Made ItFirst off it was my mother (who encouraged

me) and the fact that she thought education was important and then she instilled that in us. Secondly it had to be my aunt and uncle who valued that and wanted it. And thirdly it had to have been my teachers. Their expectations were high. They were very strict. They demanded a lot. They gave you a lot of love. You knew they really cared about you. Even when they were being what we call ‘mean.’ They were my role models.”

And From A Teacher

“Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth and take so little care of your children, to whom one day you must relinquish all?”

~ Socrates

Our Task