Poverty

What is poverty?

Poverty, as defined by *Dr. Ruby Payne, is “The extent to which an individual does
without resources.”.

*The U.S. in 2019 was estimated to have a poverty rate nationally is 13.4%.

*Dr. Ruby Payne - American educator

and author known for her work on the
culture of poverty and how it relates
to education.
*Statistic from Forbes
How does poverty affect schools?

Poverty affects schools by the possibility of lack of teachers, supplies, and

general kept-up cleanliness in schools.

This can affect students’ view on themselves, their world view, and may leave
them overwhelmed when entering their next level of education
(Elementary-Middle-High-College etc.)
How does poverty affect students?

As mentioned in the previous slide, poverty can completely debilitate a student's’

life. Student’s may feel ashamed, left out, and generally have a poor view of
themselves and the world because of this knowledge.

Not only may they feel a certain way, they will also lack many necessities a
student needs to be successful. Students who are poor may not have the same
amount of time to do homework or study, due to a working parents schedule or
maybe the student’s schedule to take care of their home or siblings.
What other barriers may coincide with poverty?

Poverty may also be the cause or factor into depression, anxiety, as well as
possible substance abuse and teen pregnancy.
How can teachers help a student battling poverty?

Now that we’ve identified how poverty can make a student feel, how do we help
them?

The best way to help a student struggling with poverty, similar to dealing with any
barrier, is to approach the student with comfort and understanding. If you notice
a student going without, offer what they need to them. This can be supplies,
maybe food or drink for lunch, or just more lenience when grading.
How can teachers help students with poverty?
(Cont.)

Teachers who may feel a deeper connection to this barrier, or just generally may
want to help, can in fact do so. There are many schools that offer Title I, a
federally funded program aimed to ensure students can have a successful
learning experience through supplying them and their schools with staff, devices,
summer programs, and more to make the workload easier on the students.
Closer

Title I Schools in Virginia Beach

Explore this link and note down three interesting things you found or may not
have known!