HOW POVERTY AFFECTS CLASSROOM ENGAGEMENT

POVERTY

• COGNITIVELY, SOCIALLY, EMOTIONALLY, BEHAVIORLY
• STUDY OF 81,000 STUDENTS
• Students in non Title I programs reported higher levels of engagement

7 DIFFERENCES

• HEALTH AND NUTRITION
• VOCABULARY
• EFFORT
• HOPE AND GROWTH MINDSET
• COGNITION
• RELATONSHIPS
• DISTRESS

HEALTH & NUTRITION

• EXERCISE, PROPER DIAGNOSES, MEDICAL ATTENTION
• NUTRITION VALUE-BEHAVIOR

VOCABULARY
- LOW INCOME BY AGE 4 HEAR 13MILLION WORDS
- UPPER- INCOME BY AGE 4 HEAR 46 MILLION

EFFORT

HOPE AND GROWTH MIND SET

- VIEW FUTURE WITH MORE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS THAN POSITIVE
-LOWER EXPECTATIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE

COGNITION

• lower socioeconomic perform below those from higher socioeconomic - show cognitive problems,short attention span, distractibility, act out -high performing teachers can overcome the problems of underperforming kids.

RELATIONSHIPS

• 3/4 of all children from poverty have a single parent caregiver
• 3:1 positives to negatives as middle class
• Lack role models which impacts relationships
• Low income parents are less able to adjust to demands of higher need children
• Mistrust at home causes students to think adults at school will fail them too
• Lack of relationships leads to classroom misbehavior

DISTRESS

• Children in poverty experience greater stress due to parents stress
• Distress affects brain dev., academic success and social competence,behavior,working memory
• Symptoms include: anger assertiveness, disconnected passivity-

WHAT CAN WE DO?

• Ensure opportunities for increase in oxygenation- movement(recess, physical educations, games, movement,drama
• Daily vocabulary practice
• Strengthen relationships with students, make connections to students worlds, affirmed effort, set high goals, daily feedback so students can see effort matters
• Teach students their brains can change and grow, provide better feedback, affirm and reinforce effort

WHAT CAN YOU DO...

• Focus on core academics beginning with organizing,student, note take ink,prioritizing and remembering - Then teach problem solving, processing and working -memory skills- start small with recall. Of words, then phrases ,then whole sentences
• Be a strong, positive caring adult--stop telling what to do and start teaching them how to do it- model proper responses
• Embed fun in academics , encourage responsibility and leadership through projects, teamwork- IF this, Then that for solving problem

THE BRIGHT SIDE

We can be the change!