2019 AASA Disrupting Poverty a Moral Imperative

Disrupting Poverty
…A Rural
MORAL
Imperative
February 15, 2019
Robert Mackey, Superintendent, Unadilla Valley CSD
Steve Bliss, Assistant CIO, Unadilla Valley CSD
Frank Johnson, Outside Observer, Unadilla Valley CSD
X

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We’ve heard it or said it…
If you work hard, do well in school, and follow the rules, you can be anything you want to be.
My Dad (maybe yours too!)
I simply cannot understand the experiences of economically disadvantaged students and their
families, or how they relate to school, or how best to engage them, if I do not consider what it
means to be poor in contemporary society and its schools.
Paul Gorski
Education is the key to unlock the golden door of freedom.
George Washington Carver
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
Education is the great equalizer of the conditions of [people], the
balance wheel of the social machinery.
Horace Mann

Middle Class: odds are
25% that you’ll be poor in
the next 10 years
We are all one tragedy
away from living in
poverty
(Jensen 2016)
Downward Social Mobility

4
Outcomes
• Analyze the changing student, family, & community demographics
in our education to better understand how to improve student
achievement {Examples of data to analyze come from our district &
NY State}
• Ignite a moral imperative to address poverty, student learning &
school funding
The slides are posted on the convention app and at:
https://tinyurl.com/ybudfoqo

<< Poverty
<< ALICE
<< Above ALICE Threshold

UVCS
Enrollment
(799)
Economically
Disadvantaged
(541)
Special
Education
(157)
Minority (49)
504 Plan (47)
SY 2017-2018 Data
12

68%
UVCS Enrollment
78%
Special
Educ.
Economically Disadvantaged By Group
68%
Minority
66%
504 Plan
SY 2017-2018 Data
13

14
• In 21 states more than 50%
of public school students
were eligible for free &
reduced lunch.
• In 19 other states between
40 and 49% of students were
eligible for free & reduced
lunch.
• For the first time since the
federal government began
tracking this data, the
majority of our nation’s
students lived in poverty.
The Changing Landscape of Student Demographics
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
1989 2000 2006 2013
32%
38%
42%
51%
%LowIncomeStudents
Year
Students Eligible for Free
& Reduced Lunch in
Public Schools
SEF January
Southern Education Foundation (2013) 14

Poverty is a chronic experience resulting from an
aggregate of adverse social and economic risk
factors.
(Poor Students, Rich Teaching 2016)
Jensen’s definition of Poverty
1515

16
The roots may go deeper than childhood
experiences

17
Risk
Factors will
Affect
Students
Poverty Impacts
Biology
Biology Affects
Experiences,
Development, &
Health
Health & Experiences
of Parents Influence
the Life Course of
Future Generations
Children are
disproportionately
affected by poverty –
foreshadowing
entrenched health
disparities that span
generations
Ramey, 2015

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Risk
Factors will
Affect
Students
Poverty Impacts
Biology
Biology Affects
Experiences,
Development, &
Health
Health & Experiences
of Parents Influence
the Life Course of
Future Generations
Intergenerational
patterns of health,
as well as
educational
attainment, can be
altered
Ramey, 2015

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Two KindergartenClassrooms
20 students – 15% live in
poverty
• 3 – 5 students affected by
significant traumatic
experience(s)
• These 3 – 5 students have been
exposed to 13,000,000 words by
age 4
• These 3 – 5 students typically lag
in speech, fine & gross motor, &
social skill development.
• 15 – 17 students exposed to
36,000,000 words by age 4
20 students – 65% live in
poverty
• 13 – 15 affected by significant
traumatic experience(s)
• These 13 – 15 students have been
exposed to 13,000,000 words by
age 4
• These 13 – 15 students typically lag
in speech, fine & gross motor, &
social skill development.
• 5 – 7 students exposed to
36,000,000 words by age 4
National Center for Children in Poverty

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20 Kindergarteners…
15 FRPL
5 Not FRPL
3 FRPL
17 Not FRPL
13 FRPL
7 Not FRPL11 FRPL
9 Not FRPL
10 FRPL
10 Not FRPL

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“It is the mission of our ______ to help each and
every _____ realize his or her full _________ and
become a __________ and ___________ citizen and
________ learner who is able to use technology
___________ and appreciate the multicultural
society in which we ____ as we _______ for the
challenges presented by the 21st _______.”
Richard DuFour, 1997
You have your MISSION:
FindYour District's “Why?”
“The words of a mission statement are not worth the paper they are written on
unless people begin to do differently.”
Richard DuFour, Rebecca DuFour, & Tom Many - Learning By Doing

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FindYour District's “Why?”
Now, What’s your “WHY?”
• This is your overarching
purpose
• It should last for 100 years or
more and not change
Bruce Jones, Senior Programming Director, Disney Institute
“If you’re crafting a purpose statement, my advice is this: To inspire your staff to do
good work for you, find a way to express the organization’s impact on the lives of
customers, clients, students, patients — whomever you’re trying to serve. Make
them feel it.” Graham Kenny – Harvard Business Review September 2013

27
• I Just Sued the School System (Prince EA)
Don’t be afraid to think outside the “classroom box” to help
connect today’s kids to school!
• What is School For? (Prince EA, YouTube)

28

29

30

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Generation ____ is
unlike any we have
served before

After you find your “Why”…
Is your
culture
ready for
equity
literacy?
• Review key data (achievement, grad rates, absences,
participation in extracurriculars, etc)
• Clarify Purpose & Mission: identify/sort vs. create
• Clarify “poverty” vs. “underserviced” & under
represented
• Clarify “ALL”
• What % of UNSUCCESSFUL students is acceptable to
your school?
• Any student expected to be a financially
independent, productive member of society.
Ken Williams

34
It’s About Poverty
• “Equity Literacy”
• Research based
• Utilize tradition to foster risk-
taking idealists
• Focus pedagogical study around
best practices for ensuring ALL
students learn at high levels
• http://www.combarriers.com/
(Gorski, 2008. The Myth of the Culture of
Poverty, Educational Leadership)
• Build practices & structures that
create equity
• Build knowledge & application
opportunities of mindset research
(Dweck & Jensen)
It’s About
ACTIVITY
• Build knowledge of executive
function and how to improve it
(Dweck & Jensen)
It’s About MINDSET
It’s About
EMOTIONALLY SAFE
• Create physically & emotionally safe schools
• Build a sense of trust
• Offer choices
• Stay regulated to promote self regulation
(Echo Parenting & Education
https://www.echotraining.org/ )
http://interactio
ninstitute.org/illu
strating-equality-
vs-equity/

35
MINDSETS FOR CHANGE
•Growth
•Relational
•Achievement
•Rich Classroom Climate
•Engagement
35
Dweck & Jensen
• Because brains
change, we can reverse
the academic effects of
poverty . . .
• The classroom teacher
is still the single most
significant contributor
to student
achievement; the effect
is greater than that of
parents, peers, entire
schools, or poverty.

37
• Action Orientation:
Learning by Doing
• A Commitment to
Continuous
Improvement
• Results Orientation
• A Focus on Learning
• A Collaborative
Culture with a Focus
on Learning for All
• Collective Inquiry
Into Best Practice
and Current Reality
Professional Learning Community
37

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• Action Orientation:
Learning by Doing
• A Commitment to
Continuous
Improvement
• Results Orientation
• A Focus on Learning
• A Collaborative
Culture with a Focus
on Learning for All
• Collective Inquiry
Into Best Practice
and Current Reality
Professional Learning Community
38

39
• Review, Revise, & Bring to Life District Mission,
Vision, & Belief Statements to Promote Equity
• Increase Equity Literacy
• Understand & dismiss the stereotypes of
those living in poverty.
• Examine teacher and administrator
practices and align them with district
beliefs & research on poverty.
• Focus on Jensen’s Five Key Mindsets in
Building, District, & Classroom Culture
• Implement a Professional Learning
Community Culture & change the way
Teachers & Administrators Work
• Update Classroom Layout & Local Curricula
-Kathleen M. Budge & William H. Parrett
SUMMARY
FOCUS ON LEARNING , RESULT S, AND TAKING ACT ION

What If…?
42
• We could complete a research study throughout our entire
county focused on families in poverty?
• Half would receive health insurance
• Half would receive free health care and full day learning program
ages 0-4
This has been done by Dr. Craig Ramey & his
team in the Abecedarian Project
• First done in 1975, replicated multiple times &
followed longitudinally.
42

44
ESSENTIAL SCHOOL BASED REFORMS PROVENTO DISRUPT POVERTY
Fully Fund Universal
Pre- Kindergarten
Programs combined
with accessible, free,
health care; at least in
all high poverty school
districts
Fund Family Focused
Learning Programs
combined with
accessible, free, health
care; at least in all high
poverty school districts
Fully fund current &
expand SBHC; at least
in all high poverty
school districts
0 – 3 YEARS SCHOOL BASED
HEALTH
4 – 5 YEARS
44

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School-based health care is a powerful tool for achieving
health equity among children and adolescents who unjustly
experience disparities in outcomes simply because of their
race, ethnicity, or family income. It’s also a commonsense
idea gaining currency across the country: place critically
needed services like medical, behavioral, dental, and vision
care directly in schools so that all young people, no matter
their zip code, have equal opportunity to learn and grow.
School-Based Health Alliance – January 2019 – https://www.sbh4all.org/school-
health-care/aboutsbhcs/
45

46
College Courses as Part of Every Student’s Secondary Experience
Dual Credit College
Courses
• Can provide greater
access & equity for
all students
Advanced Placement &
International
Baccalaureate
• Typically available in
more affluent
school districts
We must advocate for:
• Higher Education to require all
public colleges and universities
offer high schools the option of
offering dual credit courses to all
students
• The cost of tuition must be
affordable and there must be a
sliding scale based on
individual/family income
• Flexibility in graduation
requirements, “one size does not
fit all!”

• Increase focus on new
research & trends
• Balance content &
application
• Focused on:
• Collaboration
• Learning not teaching
• Equity
• Full year residency for
pre-service teachers
• Focused internships for
leaders
• Building capacity
TEACHER &
LEADER
PREPARATION
47
“There is a constant clamour to
emphasize the teacher is the key,
with claims the system is only as
good as the teacher and that
teacher standards must be raised.
In many ways that is correct,
except that teachers cannot do it
on their own: they need support,
they need to collaborate with
others in and across schools, they
need to develop expertise, and
they need excellent school
leaders.” (John Hattie, What
Works Best in Education: The
Politics of Collaborative Expertise
2015a, p. 29)
47

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This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA
Continue to Allow
Federal & State
Bureaucrats to Continue
to Mandate Improved
Student Achievement
Advocate for Federal &
State Bureaucrats to
Fund Research Based
Best Practices that Level
the Field for ALL
Students
Education Reform: Compliance or Commitment?
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

49
Engage Everyone in Creating a Culture of Equity & High Expectations
for All
ADVOCACY
INTERVENTION
DISRUPTION
• Find your Why (Jones, Williams, & Dufour)
• Become Equity Literate (Gorski)
• Implement Research Based best Practices
• Mindsets for Change (Dweck & Jensen)
• Professional Learning Community Culture (DuFour)
• Advocate for Funding of Research Based
Programs
• 0-3 year old Family Based Programs (Ramey)
• Full UPK
• School Based Health Programs
• Teacher & Leader Preparation

rmackey@uvstorm.org
www.uvstorm.org
https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Public-School/Unadilla-
Valley-Central-School-District-340853612739318/
Unadilla Valley Central School District
4238 State Rte 8
New Berlin, NY 13411

51
• Dr. Craig Ramey – http://research.vtc.vt.edu/people/craig-ramey/ and Abecedarian Project as of
October 2015.
• Communication Across Barriers – http://www.combarriers.com/ &
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/slcp/2012thematicmtg/studentpovty.pdf
• National Center for Children in Poverty – http://www.nccp.org/
• Gorski, Paul (2013). Reaching and Teaching Kids in Poverty, New York, NY: Teachers College,
Columbia University.
• http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/The-Myth-of-the-
Culture-of-Poverty.aspx
Gorski, Paul (2008). The Myth of the Culture of Poverty, Educational Leadership, Pages 32-36.
• Jensen, Eric (2016). Poor Students, Rich Teaching: Mindsets for Change. Bloomington, IN: Solution
Tree Press.
• Jensen, Eric (2016). Poor Students, Richer Teaching: Mindsets that Raise Student Achievement.
Bloomington, IN. Solution Tree Press.
• Jensen, Eric (2013). How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement. Educational Leadership, vol. 70,
pages24-30.
• National Center for Education Statistics – https://nces.ed.gov/
• U.S. Census Bureau –
http://www.census.gov/did/www/saipe/methods/schools/data/20102014.html
• The New York Center for Rural Schools – http://www.nyruralschools.org/w/data-
tools/#.V36HC7fmrcs
• Social Security Office of Retirement and Disability Policy, Annual Statistical Supplement, 2014 –
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2014/3e.html
References

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References
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• The Brookings Institution, Losing Ground: Income and Poverty in Upstate New York, 1980-2000
– http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/research/files/reports/2004/9/demographics-
pendall/20040914_pendall.pdf
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Poverty Guidelines –
https://aspe.hhs.gov/2015-poverty-guidelines
• http://my.aasa.org/AASA/Resources/SAMag/May16/Gorski.aspx
• Re-examining Beliefs About Students in Poverty
By Paul C. Gorski/School Administrator, May 2016
• http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/may13/vol70/num08/How-
Poverty-Affects-Classroom-Engagement.aspx
• How Poverty Affects Classroom Engagement
By Eric Jensen/Ed Leadership, May 2013
• http://www.pageturnpro.com/AASA/70957-March-2016/index.html#40
• Tine, Michele T. (March 2106). Different Worlds: Rural and Urban Poverty. School
Administrator, pages 38-40.
• https://nyscommunityaction.org/poverty-in-new-york/povertydata/
• Center for Public Education – http://www.centerforpubliceducation.org/You-May-Also-Be-
Interested-In-landing-page-level/Organizing-a-School-YMABI/The-United-States-of-education-
The-changing-demographics-of-the-United-States-and-their-schools.html
• Southern Education Foundation (2015). A New Majority: Low Income Students Now a Majority
In the Nation’s Public Schools. http://www.southerneducation.org/getattachment/4ac62e27-
5260-47a5-9d02-14896ec3a531/A-New-Majority-2015-Update-Low-Income-Students-
Now.aspx
• Williams, Kenneth C. & Hierck, Tom (2016). Starting a Movement: Building Culture From the
Inside Out in Professional Learning Communities. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.

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