Impoverished Schools Create Impoverished Adults

961 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Relationship between poverty and academic achievement

One of the most common misconceptions when it comes to a student’s academic success in poverty stricken schools is that they are unwilling and unable to learn. This is not the case. Yes a child can determine their own education by choosing to do their work and be willing to learn, but you must take into consideration their circumstances. Most of these schools are very diverse, which leads them to be exposed to gangs, drugs, and violence. The achievement gap between these schools and more fortunate schools is wide. As well, these schools do not have the funding to afford supplies and materials to provide an education that meets standards.

The social diversity in our schools today is just one of the many factor’s poverty has introduced into our nations classrooms. This makes both teaching and learning much more difficult. Social issues have a significant impact on the development of a child’s education. High-mobility is one social symptom of poverty. Children who live in poverty may move around a lot. Their parents may have trouble finding jobs or financial problems, and resort to running away. Living conditions can affect their education and achievement. School attendance becomes irregular and often leads to transfers to new schools. Failed attempts to make friends may lead the students to give up and not bother.

Children often view each other as equal, no matter their economic status, but when they reach a certain age they become aware of those differences. A child of poverty may look at the way another student is dressed and feel insecure about themselves because their clothes aren’t as nice. They may also not be able to participate in extra-curricular activities schools host because their parents simply cannot afford it. O...

... middle of paper ...

...lso hire good, honest teachers who are willing to help these children succeed. The No Child Left Behind Act, which allows nonprofessionals to receive a teaching certificate at a faster rate, is a good example of those wanting to help these children succeed. States should also take into account the schools that need extra funding, and find a way to provide it to them, whether it be providing a little less to a wealthier school, or helping to hire good teachers for these less fortunate schools.

Works Cited

1. O. Hyde, Margaret, Kids In and Out of Trouble, New York: Penguin, 1995, Print.

2. “The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning.” Teach-nology.com. Teachnology, N.D, Web.

3. Schmidt, Peer, Color and Money, New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007, Print.

4. L. Adams, Kathy, and Dale E. Adams. Urban Education. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2003, Print.

Show More
Related

  • Effects of Poverty on Childhood Development in the U.S.

    1034 Words  | 3 Pages

    It is not difficult to document that poor children suffer a disproportionate share of deprivation, hardship, and bad outcomes. More than 16 million children in the United States – 22% of all children – live in families with incomes below the federal poverty level – $23,550 a year for a family of four. (Truman, 2005) Living in poverty rewires children 's brains and reports show that it produces prolonged effects. Also, growing up in a community with dangerous streets, gangs, confused social expectations, discouraging role models, and few connections to outsiders commanding resources becomes a burden for any child. The concern about the number of children living in poverty arises from our knowledge of the problems children face because of poverty.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Sociological Factors On My Life

    1987 Words  | 4 Pages

    Having a family of low socioeconomic status inevitably leaves me to reside in a low-income neighborhood which makes it more likely for me to witness the tragedies, adversities and hardships that people go through [not excluding myself]. Being conscious of this kind of environment, and these kinds of events, creates a pressure on me for having the aim to achieve social mobility in order to escape the aforementioned environment so that my own children could witness one less abominable aspect of life. Moreover, my family’s low socioeconomic status does not authorize me the privilege of being raised with the concerted cultivation method that kids of high socioeconomic status are more prone to being raised in. My family did not have the financial resources that granted us access to extra classes or lessons of instrumental classes, swimming practices, karate practices, or any other extracurricular activities that people of high socioeconomic status would be able to afford. This invisible fence that prevents me from these extracurricular activities enables me to having more appreciation towards the hobbies and talents that other people have. Plus, the fact that my family’s low socioeconomic status acts as a barrier from enjoying expensive luxuries in life creates a yearning [in me] to enjoy them later on in my life, in addition to acting as the fuel to my wish of achieving social mobility in anticipation of providing my own children with the luxurious vacations, gadgets, beachhouse, new cars that I could not

    Read More

  • All Kids Should Take Poverty 101 Analysis

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    In “All Kids Should Take Poverty 101”, Donna Beegle makes the argument for requiring a Poverty Awareness class to children in grades K-12. The goal is to diminish the cycle of poverty by teaching children the causes and effects on poverty. By teaching children young about poverty and inequality she says those in the middle class will learn empathy and those living in poverty will be empowered to, “understand and change their current context (343).” While Beegle makes a valid point in regards to teaching children empathy, I believe she focuses on the wrong age group, and relies too heavily on the middle class to be the driving force behind the elimination of poverty.

    Read More

  • The Other Wes Moore Essay

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty has many influences on children under the age of 16. The research fined out that in recent year, an increasing number of children become poor, live under the poverty condition- childhood poverty lasted 10 years or more. So, what does the poverty exactly mean to children? According to Brook-Gunn and Duncan, The kids who live in the poverty condition have the low quality of schools; more likely to have domestic violence and become homeless; less access to friends, services, etc. (Brooks-Gunn et all, 1997) That points out the disadvantage and how the family income influence youngsters overall childhood, since under the poverty condition, they children do not have enough money to support for their necessary needs, they will more likely to have low self-confidence and hard to blend in with their peers. Poverty has impact on children’s achievement in several different ways. Payne (2003) maintained that the poverty could affect children achievement though emotional, mental, financial, and role models (Payne, 2003). Thus, the children from low-income family are more likely to have self-destructive behavior, lack of control emotional response and lack of necessary intellectual, that is really important for the students under the age of 16. Nevertheless, the children who suffer from poverty are usually have low birth weight and low cognitive ability

    Read More

  • Poverty and Education in America

    1324 Words  | 3 Pages

    The fact that students from lower income families fail to perform as well in school holds no dispute. Growing up with less money has been proven to create a significant disadvantage. Those struggling to pay their bills often are forced to cut back the money spent on food, leaving kids with only the option of cheaper food with poor nutritional value, or sometimes skipping meals. This inhibits the brain from functioning at its best and can leave students more worried about their growling stomachs than their schoolwork (Ladd, Fiske). Low income students face other distractions from their schoolwork including home struggles like in the movie Freedom Writers. A teacher starts a job...

    Read More

  • Problems in the Inner City Schools

    2038 Words  | 5 Pages

    Noguera, P. A. (2003). City Schools and the American Dream. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Retrieved June 5, 2010, Web.

    Read More

  • Discriminative Behaviour Essay

    1741 Words  | 4 Pages

    The effects of poverty can cause negative behaviour in the classroom due to emotional and social challenges. Research suggests that children who have had a disadvantaged upbringing are less likely to do well at school (Connell, White and Johnson as cited in Ewing , 2013, p. 74). Not being socially accepted because of socio economics can deter a child’s experience of schooling and create cognitive lags. For this reason, it is important for schools to bridge this gap. Children from different socio economic backgrounds bring similar knowledge to the classroom, but it is the children’s experiences that can have a negative impact on a child’s learning (Thomson, 2002, p.4). For example, children from low socio economic backgrounds can have high levels of behavioural and emotional problems, anger, have less linguistic knowledge and high levels of absent days from school. Likewise, another factor that can affect a child’s schooling experience is gender

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On School Funding

    802 Words  | 2 Pages

    Proper school funding is one of the keys to having a successful school. Americans believe that funding is the biggest problem in public schools. School improvements revolve around funding. There needs to be funding not only in the successful schools but also the schools that aren’t doing as well. In documentary, Waiting for Superman, it talks about how smaller class sizes will help students. Funding is what will help the smaller class sizes. State funding mechanisms are subject to intense political and economic scrutiny (Leonard). Studies have shown that funding is inversely related to accreditation levels (Leonard). School funding needs to be increased, but there must be accountability as well.

    Read More

  • Social Factors Affecting Inner City Poverty

    1175 Words  | 3 Pages

    Poverty has stricken the country with thousands of inner city families facing dilemmas that contribute to their inability to reach a higher economic social status. Each year, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issues updates for the U.S. Federal Poverty Measure. These updates report thresholds that determine eligibility for particular federal programs, and also is used to set an income measure which allows the National Census Bureau to estimate the percentage of the population who are indeed suffering from poverty (The 200 HHS Poverty Guidelines). These poverty-stricken homes have very few ways to escape the economic trap that they are in. Forty-two percent of all poor live in metropolitan areas of 300,000 or more (Harris 12). By examining the factors that affect the poverty within America's inner cities, one can easily see the economic damage that each can cause. Three major factors that affect poverty in the inner cities are the lack of educational and occupational opportunities to those who live in the communities, racial and economic segregation, and governmental ignorance and abandonment of the urban communities. Over twenty percent of all children under age eighteen are now living in poverty (12). Impoverished students tend to have much lower test scores, higher dropout rates, fewer students in demanding classes, less well-prepared teachers, and a low percentage of college-bound students (Orfield 56). "More parental involvement in active learning (including programs that teach parents how to help and teach their children) should be fundamental in improving the system" (Dreir 114).

    Read More

  • Essay On The Achievement Gap In Education

    1027 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the nation, education inequality affects many minority students that have low-income which reinforces the disparity between the rich and the poor. The amount of children that have a socioeconomic background of poverty in the United States is estimated to be 32.4 million (National Center for Children in Poverty, 2011). Since many of these children are from

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Social Class

    2218 Words  | 5 Pages

    Family issues, poverty, and homelessness cause students to drop out of high school as it impacts education by placing stressful obstacles in children’s learning path. A National study found, “Overall, 22 percent of children who have lived in poverty do not graduate from high school, compared to 6 percent of those who have never been poor” (National Study). Lack of educational success can also contribute to throwing in the towel on school. Some students may not be receiving the additional supports to give them success in school. Imagine coming home on the bus after a ten hour day and having your ninth grader ask for help on their algebra. If you possessed the skills, which you likely do not, you may be too exhausted to help. In addition there is still dinner to cook and other household chores to complete. It is a daunting request that you may not be able to comply with. “Family poverty is associated with a number of adverse conditions — high mobility and homelessness; hunger and food insecurity; parents who are in jail or absent; domestic violence; drug abuse and other problem…” (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012 as quoted by Rumberger). Poverty is an obstacle to learning even for the brightest children. As a result few can overcome these stumbling

    Read More

  • How Wealth Affects Education

    1498 Words  | 3 Pages

    There are many different factors that affect education. One such factor is, socioeconomic status. Children who attend school in a wealthier community receive a better education than those students in poor communities. In poor communities, student’s education is not only affected by a lack of resources, but also from teaching methods and philosophies. Urban and poor schools’ students do not receive as equal of an education as their more affluent and suburban counterparts do.

    Read More

  • Essay On Impact Of Poverty On Education

    1441 Words  | 3 Pages

    More and more people are falling into insular poverty. Insular poverty is rapidly growing, in our nation, into a huge problem today. It’s affecting student’s education causing them to work so much harder than the average American. To get a higher education in a poverty stricken home is almost impossible. Research is showing that poverty negatively impacts students during their educational

    Read More

  • How Poverty Affects Academic Performance

    2579 Words  | 6 Pages

    Living in poverty exposes children to disadvantages that influence many aspects in their life that are linked to their ability to do well in school. In the United States of America there are an estimated 16.4 million children under the age of 18 living in poverty (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). “The longer a child lives in poverty, the lower the educational attainment” (Kerbo, 2012). Children who are raised in low-income households are at risk of failing out before graduating high school (Black & Engle, 2008). U.S. children living in poverty face obstacles that interfere with their educational achievement. Recognizing the problems of living in poverty can help people reduce the consequences that prevent children from reaching their educational potential.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Poor Education

    2702 Words  | 6 Pages

    Some states want to have separation when it comes to the income of these schools. States argue that high class, wealthy, school districts should have more money than the lower class districts, because of the tax payers wants or because there are better opportunities for students to grow in the wealthier areas. According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than 50 percent of lower end schools are not receiving the amount of money they should get from the state funds (U.S. Department of Education). This is what is preventing school districts in these areas from helping students with their education. The schools are forced to cut back on programs such as extracurricular activities that are suppose to encourage students to be active, or they would have to cut back on supplies where in some cases there are not enough textbooks for each student to have his or her own. The U.S. Department of Education also stated that teachers that are less paid and have less years teaching are often the ones dealing with the students in poverty. (U.S. Department of Education). This only prolongs the problem with children receiving the proper education. If they are taught by teachers who don’t know what they are teaching or those who don’t have enough experience, then the students are not going to learn the correct information or any information at all. While there are some schools

    Read More

More about Impoverished Schools Create Impoverished Adults

Open Document