Struggles of Children in Poverty

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In order to understand the educational gap, it is first important to understand the effects of poverty on students of lower socio-economic backgrounds. A significant part of the education function is socioeconomic background of a student. Studies show that 30-50% of behavior is genetic and 50-70% is explained by one’s environment (ASCD). If behaviors are a predominant result of environmental factors then it is important to see the difference between the environment of low SES students and that of affluent students. Many factors must be accounted for when looking at behavior. Lower SES students face daily overwhelming challenges that are different from affluent students. There are four risk factors in particular that affect children in poverty and those are: emotional and social challenges; acute and chronic stressors; cognitive lags; and health and safety issues.
Students from lower-income neighborhoods tend to face emotional and social instability. The problem begins from infancy. Young children need to be in environments that foster healthy learning and exploration for optimal br...

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