Empowering Poor Students: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty in Education
Unfortunately, many poor students face significant challenges in their educational journey, often being trapped in underperforming schools. However, a range of targeted support mechanisms exist to help empower these students, enabling them to succeed and break the cycle of poverty.
Understanding the Challenges of Poor Students
The phrase 'poor students' can encompass a diverse group of learners. For many, the term refers to those living in economic hardship, often in failing public schools. These students need school choice more than anything, to escape environments that are not providing them with the educational foundation they need.
Support Mechanisms for Poor Students
When we talk about poor, we are referring to the impoverished, we can clearly see that these students can and do learn, especially when provided with the necessary supports. In the era of 'No Child Left Behind,' poor students receive extra help in elementary school. They are given more attention, and their efforts are counted twice, reflecting their increased importance in school statistics. Teachers work diligently to support their learning, especially if they belong to a minority group, where their efforts are even more impactful.
Early Education Programs
One crucial support for poor students is early education programs. Poor students are eligible for Head Start programs and can attend pre-kindergarten, whereas other children may not be. These programs provide a critical foundation for students to succeed in later grades.
Extra Tutoring and Individual Support
When identified as 'left behind,' students receive supplementary tutoring from their teachers. This can occur before or after school, as well as during class time when other students are engaged in independent tasks. While teachers make every effort to support these students, their schedules and availability must accommodate the realities of working parents.
Differentiated Teaching Techniques
For students from impoverished backgrounds, specific teaching techniques can make a significant difference. I have been trained by Dr. Ruby K. Payne, an expert in teaching strategies for impoverished students. Her book, Framework for Understanding Poverty: A Cognitive Approach, offers valuable insights into how to engage and support these students effectively. One example is the use of cross-body physical exercises, chants, and hands-on activities to promote focus and confidence. By creating an environment that fosters safety, love, and capability, teachers can help these students overcome barriers to learning.
Breaking the Cycle of Poverty through Education
Poor students do not have to be destiny-driven. Many can excel academically, as evidenced by my personal experience. During a period of economic hardship, my own children were home-schooled, and when they entered public schools, several were placed in gifted and accelerated classes. The school's efforts to count their scores twice reflected a recognition of their potential and the need to ensure their success.
Breaking the cycle of poverty requires more than just educational support; it necessitates individualized relationships with teachers who can provide a safe and nurturing environment. Students from impoverished backgrounds need to feel safe, loved, capable, and successful. If these feelings are not instilled in elementary school, it becomes significantly more challenging to achieve later.
The critical role of elementary school educators in teaching impoverished students cannot be overstated. With the right support and techniques, these students can lay the foundation for a successful academic and professional future, breaking the cycle of poverty that has held them back.