Strategies for Poverty in

the Classroom

STEPHANIE MURCH
Hard Times
Generation

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 Could You Survive Poverty?
1. I know which churches and sections of town have the best rummage sales.
2. I know when Walmart, drug stores, and convenience stores throw away over-the-counter medicine with expired
dates.
3. I know which pawn shops sell DVDs for $1.
4. In my town in criminal courts, I know which judges are lenient, which ones are crooked, and which ones are fair.
5. I know how to physically fight and defend myself physically.
6. I know how to get a gun, even if I have a police record.
7. I know how to keep my clothes from being stolen at the Laundromat.
8. I know what problems to look for in a used car.
9. I/my family use a payday lender.
10. I know how to live without electricity and a phone.
11. I know how to use a knife as scissors.
12. I can entertain a group of friends with my personality and my stories.
13. I know which churches will provide assistance with food or shelter.
14. I know how to move in half a day.
15. I know how to get and use food stamps or an electronic card for benefits.
16. I know where the free medical clinics are.
17. I am very good at trading and bartering.
18. I can get by without a car.
19. I know how to hide my car so the repo man cannot find it.
20. We pay our cable-TV bill before we pay our rent.
21. I know which sections of town belong to which gangs.
Think About It!

Poverty at home
Children go untested for vision impairments, behavior
disorders (ADHD)
Few or no books at home
Spend considerably more time watching TV than middle-
income children
Live in Chaotic unstable households
Depression
Chemical dependence
Hectic work schedules
Poverty At School

Family income correlates significantly with academic

success (especially during pre-k, k, and primary years)
Early intervention is key

High tardiness/absenteeism
Issues of transportation
Health care
Absenteeism is the factor most closely correlated with dropout rates.
Food Insecurity
Has an effect on students reading and math skills
It is not the quantity of food that affects learning it is the quality
Bring on the Learning Revolution!

Everything in education is becoming standardiz

ed, but human talent is diverse.

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 Think about it
OFTEN BEHAVIOR IN SCHOOL IS A SYMPTOM OF THE
EFFECTS OF POVERTY AND INDICATES A CONDITION
SUCH AS CHRONIC STRESS DISORDER. SUCH
DISORDERS ALTER STUDENTS BRAINS AND OFTEN
LEAD TO GREATER IMPULSIVITY AND POOR SHORT-
TERM MEMORY. IN THE CLASSROOM, THIS TRANSLATES
INTO BLURTING, ACTING BEFORE ASKING PERMISSION,
AND FORGETTING WHAT TO DO NEXT. ERIC JENSEN
Strategies to support poverty in the classroom:

Poor or weak relationships generate a host of

negative effects, including chronic elevated levels of
cortisol, which can destroy new brain cells, impair
social judgment, reduce memory, and diminish
cognition. Eric Jensen
Looping- This strategy keeps students with the same teacher
from grade level to the next.
Improved reading and math performance
Emotional stability and improved conflict resolution and teamwork
Stronger bonds
Higher attendance rates and fewer special education referrals
Set High Expectations

If you repeat ten instructions per day at half a minute per

instruction, you will waste two full days of school per child
over the course of the year. Eric Jensen

No Opt Out
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Right is Right
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Strong Voice
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100%
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Classroom Climate

If you were able to cut a minute a piece from ten transitions a day
and sustained that improvement for two hundred school days, you
would have created almost thirty-five hours of instructional time
over the school year. Eric Jensen

Tight Transitions
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SLANT- Sit Up, Listen, Ask and Answer Questions, Nod Your
Head, Track the Speaker

Seat Signals
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 Strategies Continued

Eric Jensen-

When staff members work with children raised

in poverty, a common observation is Bless
their hearts, they come from such terrible
circumstances. The problem with that
leads to lowered expectations. Encourage
teachers to feel empathy rather than pity. Positive Framing
You can help foster such a culture by using
positive affirmation.
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Precise Praise

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Resources

Jensen, Eric. (2009)Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What
Schools Can Do about It. Alexandria, Virginia. Association of Supervision and Curriculum
Development.

Lemov, Doug. (2012). Teach Like A Champion, Field Guide, A Practical Resource to Make The 49
Techniques Your Own. San Francisco, California. Jossey-Bass Publishing.

Payne, Ruby, K. (2005). A Framework for Understanding Poverty. Highlands, Texas. Aha! Process,
Inc.

Rawlinson, Reginia. (2011). A Mind Shaped by Poverty: Ten Things Educators Should Know.
Bloomington, Indiana. iUniverse Publishing.

Reddick, R. J., Welton, A. D., Alsandor, D. J., Denyszyn, J. L., & Platt, C. (2011). Stories of Success:
High Minority, High Poverty Public School Graduate Narratives on Accessing Higher Education.
Journal Of Advanced Academics, 22(4), 594-618. doi:10.1177/1932202X11414133

Templeton, Beth. R. (2011). Understanding Poverty in the Classroom: Changing Perceptions for
Student Success.Lanham, Maryland. Rowman and Littlefield Publishing.