Socio-economic Status
Benard, Bonnie. “From Risk to Resiliency: What Schools Can Do.” In: Hansen, W.B., S.M. Giles and M.D. Fearnow-Kenney. Eds. Increasing
Prevention Effectiveness. 2000. Tanglewood. Greensboro. Web. P19-30. March 3, 2014.
This article delivers good news about risk – not all students who we view as at-risk go on to live risky lives. The resilience they develop as they grow helps them make decisions that keep them healthy. The bad news though, is that a risk focus has “increasingly led to harmful educational practices such as lowering expectations” and to “see these children and their families only through a deficit lens.” When we do not know each other's stories we substitute myths about who others are, and that is not helpful.
This article focuses on ways in which schools and teachers can build resiliency in students from poverty, but there are many situations that place students at-risk today and all can benefit from an increased resilience to help them through tough times.
Jensen, Eric. Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement.
2013. ASCD, Alexandria. Print.
In the words of the book itself, Engaging Students presents 7 factors “crucial to student engagement and that are tied strongly to socioeconomic status.” (p5) Whereas the book described below talks a lot about the how poverty affects brain development and the supports that need to be in place to help overcome those risk factors, most of Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind is spent presenting highly effective strategies for engaging students in the learning process. And just as the strategies presented for learners with exceptionalities are necessary for some, but good for all, so too are the strategies presented in this book – they will engage all your learners. A must read to bring the excitement back into your teaching!
Jensen, Eric. Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It. 2009. ASCD, Alexandria.
Print.
Teaching with Poverty in Mind presents the results of research demonstrating the negative effects of chronic poverty on the development of the brain and how we as teachers and school communities can help students overcome those risk factors to change the brain and increase achievement. A great supporter of the concepts of the growth mindset and fluid intelligence. Includes school-wide and classroom-level success factors as well as some practical strategies teachers can use to level the playing field and support the success of students from poverty.
Joseph, Stephen M. ed. The me nobody knows: children's voices from the ghetto. 1969. Avon Books. New York. Print
A very old book with short pieces of writing by children aged 7 to 18. Most of the writers are coloured minority children from the slums of New York. The original Freedom Writers I suppose, this is a good read for some background on what the children of that time and place had to say about themselves, their neighbourhoods and the world. A useful starting point for conversations about perspective. If you know nothing about poverty and how the poor think, you can learn it here, first hand.
Southern Poverty Law Centre. Teaching Tolerance. 2014.Web. Feb 18, 2014.
A great resource for supporting students from poverty in your classroom, and the tips come to you weekly if you subscribe to their free online newsletter. From book lists to strategies this site is both professional and current.
Benard, Bonnie. “From Risk to Resiliency: What Schools Can Do.” In: Hansen, W.B., S.M. Giles and M.D. Fearnow-Kenney. Eds. Increasing
Prevention Effectiveness. 2000. Tanglewood. Greensboro. Web. P19-30. March 3, 2014.
This article delivers good news about risk – not all students who we view as at-risk go on to live risky lives. The resilience they develop as they grow helps them make decisions that keep them healthy. The bad news though, is that a risk focus has “increasingly led to harmful educational practices such as lowering expectations” and to “see these children and their families only through a deficit lens.” When we do not know each other's stories we substitute myths about who others are, and that is not helpful.
This article focuses on ways in which schools and teachers can build resiliency in students from poverty, but there are many situations that place students at-risk today and all can benefit from an increased resilience to help them through tough times.
Jensen, Eric. Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind: Practical Strategies for Raising Achievement.
2013. ASCD, Alexandria. Print.
In the words of the book itself, Engaging Students presents 7 factors “crucial to student engagement and that are tied strongly to socioeconomic status.” (p5) Whereas the book described below talks a lot about the how poverty affects brain development and the supports that need to be in place to help overcome those risk factors, most of Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind is spent presenting highly effective strategies for engaging students in the learning process. And just as the strategies presented for learners with exceptionalities are necessary for some, but good for all, so too are the strategies presented in this book – they will engage all your learners. A must read to bring the excitement back into your teaching!
Jensen, Eric. Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It. 2009. ASCD, Alexandria.
Print.
Teaching with Poverty in Mind presents the results of research demonstrating the negative effects of chronic poverty on the development of the brain and how we as teachers and school communities can help students overcome those risk factors to change the brain and increase achievement. A great supporter of the concepts of the growth mindset and fluid intelligence. Includes school-wide and classroom-level success factors as well as some practical strategies teachers can use to level the playing field and support the success of students from poverty.
Joseph, Stephen M. ed. The me nobody knows: children's voices from the ghetto. 1969. Avon Books. New York. Print
A very old book with short pieces of writing by children aged 7 to 18. Most of the writers are coloured minority children from the slums of New York. The original Freedom Writers I suppose, this is a good read for some background on what the children of that time and place had to say about themselves, their neighbourhoods and the world. A useful starting point for conversations about perspective. If you know nothing about poverty and how the poor think, you can learn it here, first hand.
Southern Poverty Law Centre. Teaching Tolerance. 2014.Web. Feb 18, 2014.
A great resource for supporting students from poverty in your classroom, and the tips come to you weekly if you subscribe to their free online newsletter. From book lists to strategies this site is both professional and current.