Poverty

by Jacob Tenney
and Brendan Pollok

Activity
This activity is to represent the different roles of money in the school system.
In round one the school board will have 10 dollars to spend on different
curriculum.
Each table has a different group to represent, the purpose of these groups
is to provide a few brief reasons as to why their group deserves funding.
At the end of the round the school board announce how they will use the
schools funding.

Activity part two

In part two the rules are the same except now the school board only has
two dollars to spend.
How did this affect the outcome of this activity? how do you think this
would affect students in the real world?

Poverty- Individual
Poverty is problem on a massive level for people in the United States.
According to NCCP 22% of families live below the poverty line, however
according to research 44% of families fall short of basic needs. This means that
families with less money have less to spend on needed educational equipment
or opportunities for their children. This can equate to an uneven learning and
unfair advantages for children from more prosperous families.

Poverty- school districts

Due to the combination of lacking federal funding and poverse students, many school districts
have fallen into debt. Financially struggling school districts can mean the loss of educational
programs, and necessary materials for students. This in turn can lead to drops in student
enrollment to other schools, furthering district debt. On the student level loss of programs and
materials means that students are missing out on educational opportunities and could mean
that students education will start to drag on a national level.

Preventions/Treatments

Federal assistance.
The Federal government is investing more money into early education
to give younger children better educational advantages. Children who
do ECE statistically have higher graduation percentages thus creating
a higher economic return than children who dont.
Classroom assistance
(see teaching strategies)
Individual assistance
Individuals can help fight poverty in the classroom also, individuals
can sponsor children through programs like the Childfund Alliance,
and help students regain an edge in school.

Teaching Strategies

Teachers must acknowledge the cultural differences experienced by

poverty stricken children.
Their cultural norms can be vary vastly from those expected in a
classroom.

By recognizing the values and experiences their students go through,

teachers can build off of them in their teaching and bridge the cultural gap.

Teaching Strategies
Examples of teaching strategies:
Incorporate several teaching styles
Use real-world applications of teaching
Forge relationships with parents to collaborate on students learning
Build relationships of respect with students

Conclusion
Level Two
what are some disadvantages that
students in poverty face?

Conclusion
Level Six
Can you think of any ways to better
combat the effects of poverty in
educational environments?

Conclusion
Level Four
Compare your education to that of a
student who lives in poverty, what
differences might you see?

Sources
Rokosa, Jennifer. "Fighting the War on Poverty with Early Childhood Education." Center For American
Progress. N.p., 10 Oct. 2011. Web. 14 Dec. 2014. <https://www.americanprogress.org/
issues/poverty/news/2011/10/20/10547/
fighting-the-war-on-poverty-with-early-childhood-education/>.

Payne, Ruby. "Nine Powerful Practices." Ascd. N.p., Apr. 2008. Web. 14 Dec. 2014.
<http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/
Nine-Powerful-Practices.aspx>.

Save Our Schools, Inc. "Poverty; The Effect on the Whole Child." Save Our Schools March.March 1, 2014, http://saveourschoolsmarch.org/issues/poverty-andthe-effect-on-education/poverty-the-effect-on-the-whole-child/.