The document discusses how poverty affects education. It argues that poverty is the underlying problem plaguing many failing schools. Children living in poverty often lack resources and face challenges such as absenteeism, smaller vocabularies, behavioral issues, unstable home lives, and lower performance on exams. However, the document provides solutions such as incorporating daily vocabulary lessons, building relationships with students, understanding their backgrounds, and analyzing student data to tailor lessons for success.

1. THE TWO SIDES OF THE COIN: POVERTY AND
EDUCATION
BY. MICHAEL G. SHEPPARD

2. POVERTY IS THE PROBLEM
• Many Americans believe that the major problem within public
education is the lack of focus within the administration of a
school.
• They even go as far as to blame the teachers for not providing
the adequate time and skills needed for their child to grow and
learn on a day-to-day basis.
• As much as we can over analyze the various policies, it is
important that we become more aware and cognizant of the
overarching problem that has plagued our schools for years,
poverty.

3. POVERTY IS THE PROBLEM
• Poverty, in itself, is a very
uncomfortable topic.
• But, like it or not, it is a
conversation that we need to
start having.
• For many of our schools,
especially those that are failing,
poverty is right behind it. Many
of these well deserving
students are held back at
incredible opportunities to
grow because of lack of
funding or lack of resources.

4. WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? WHY
IS THIS A PROBLEM?
• More than 16 million children are growing up in
poverty in which 22% of all children live in families
with incomes below the federal poverty level of
$23,550 a year. Research has shown that children
living in poverty have a higher number of
absenteeism and dropout rates than those coming
from middle class or higher.

6. NOW HOW DOES THIS AFFECT THE CLASSROOMS AND HOW
CAN WE SOLVE IT?

7. PROBLEM: LACKING THE
FOUNDATION
• For our students, children who grow up in low
socioeconomic conditions typically have a smaller
vocabulary than middle or higher-class children do,
which increases the risk for academic failure.
• Much of this attributes to lack of exposure. Whether
the words are spoken or read, low socioeconomic
households will in most cases, to be able to provide
their child with that elementary foundation.

8. SOLUTION: LACKING THE
FOUNDATION
• In the classroom, this lack of
exposure can impact various
lesson plans and
achievement for both the
teacher and the student.
• Educators should try and
incorporate vocabulary
practice on a daily basis. The
more exposure to new and
unique words can enrich the
student in successful ways.

9. PROBLEM: STUDENT-TEACHER
RELATIONSHIP
• Many teachers, especially new teachers into the field, find many
students in low-income areas to be behaviorally difficult and
inattentive to the work.
• As much as we want to blame the student, we need to understand
their background and their stories. One reason why many student
seem unmotivated at the school work is a lack of hope or optimism
related to their outside problems.
• Low socioeconomic students often deal with problems bigger than
themselves. Whether they are financial hardships or absent guardians,
these types of negative problems can take a toll on the mentality of
the student causing them to act in a very brash and hasty way.

10. SOLUTION: STUDENT-TEACHER
RELATIONSHIP
• One thing a teacher should do
to aid the situation is to build a
relationship with the student.
• Establishing any type of
relationship with the student
can benefit you as well as the
overall classroom.
• In addition, providing positive
reinforcement can give the
child the necessary confidence
to perform at an academic
basis.

11. PROBLEM: HOME RELATIONSHIPS
• Many disruptive home relationships often create
mistrust in students. Parent or guardian figures that
have often failed students at home can project to
adults at the school. Classroom misbehaviors are
likely to increase because of these at-home
instabilities.

12. SOLUTION: HOME RELATIONSHIPS
• The best way to handle
this type of situation is to
develop a relationship
with that child.
• Understanding, listening,
and talking with a child
can provide you a strong
advantage especially
later down the line.

13. PROBLEM: PERFORMANCE ON
EXAMS
• Studies have shown that children from lower
socioeconomic background often perform below those
from higher socioeconomic backgrounds on state exams.
• Many students coming from specific communities are
found to struggle with the core subjects such as reading,
math, science, etc.
• In addition, many of the schools that the students attend
lack the necessary resources and teachers to provide
them the foundation to develop these core skills.

14. SOLUTION: PERFORMANCE ON
EXAMS
• What a school can do to
help nullify this problem is
by strategically analyze the
strengths and weaknesses
of each of their student.
• By having this type of data,
a teacher is able to break
down lessons so that his
students can be successful.