“reaching and teaching students in poverty: strategies for erasing the opportunity gap”

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTONDEPT. OF CURRICULUM AND INSTRUCTIONNEW TEACHER WEBINAR 4Advice for New TeachersSATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014 1-2 PM

REACHING AND TEACHING STUDENTS IN POVERTY WITH DR. PAUL GORSKI *Recordings will be available of webinars. No names will be visible in the recordings.

The recording will be available on our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/utanewteachers

Dr. Paul Gorski

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Bio: Dr. Paul GorskiGeorge Mason University

Bio:

Paul C. Gorski is the founder of EdChange (www.edchange.org) and an Associate Professor of Integrative Studies (Social Justice Concentration) at George Mason University. His most recent books include Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap and The Poverty and Education Reader: A Call for Equity in Many Voices (with Julie Landsman). 

Selected Article Resources

Articles to Read “The Myth of the Culture of Poverty.”Educational Leadership.

http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-leadership/apr08/vol65/num07/The-Myth-of-the-Culture-of-Poverty.aspx

“Building a Pedagogy of Engagement for Students in Poverty.” Phi Delta Kappan

http://www.edchange.org/publications/PDK-Pedagogy-of-Engagement.pdf

Recent Books

Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: Strategies for Erasing the Opportunity Gap (Teachers College Press, 2013) by Paul C. Gorski

Recent BooksThe Poverty and Education Reader: A Call for Equity in Many Voices, Edited by Paul Gorski and Julie Landsman (Stylus, 2013)

EdChangewww.edchange.org

http://www.edchange.org/publications.html

Be sure to check out edchange.org

Share this site with others.

Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty: An Equity Literacy Approach

Paul C. GorskiEdChange & George Mason University

ObjectivesWe will: Learn about the major themes from the last 20 years of

research on teaching students in poverty; Consider what approaches for educating low-income

students might look like if we more fully understand their experiences with poverty; and

Become familiar with on-the-ground, research-based strategies for reaching and teaching students in poverty.

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How I Know that “the Poor” Aren’t “the Problem?”

* * *

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Starting Assumptions1. Poor people bear the brunt of almost

every imaginable social ill in the U.S.

2. It is not every educator’s responsibility to eradicate global poverty

3. However, if we don’t understand systems of poverty, we cannot understand our low-income students

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Barriers to Progress1. Thinking we can eliminate economic

achievement gap without eradicating poverty

2. Thinking we can eliminate economic achievement gap by “fixing” poor people rather than fixing the things that disenfranchise poor people

3. School “reform” initiatives that are making things much, much worse

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The Big Context:Poor families bear the brunt of every imaginable social ill, including lack of access to:

Healthcare Good nutrition Recreation (like playgrounds) Living wage jobs

And.. Higher rates of chronic illnesses

***Rarely do conversations about poverty and schooling in the U.S. take this context into account.

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Equity Literacy: Principles

Outcome inequalities do not result primarily from cultural defects in low-income families

Outcome inequalities do result primarily from inequitable access to resources and experiences in and out of school

Our job as educators is to refuse to replicate that inequitable access in our spheres of influence—a matter of equity, not a matter of culture

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A Bit of a Shocker, Perhaps

One of the factors that best predicts how well a student in poverty performs is who or what her or his teachers blame for poverty

Students whose teachers believe that poor people are poor because of their own deficiencies perform worse in school

Students whose teachers refuse to blame poor families for their poverty perform better in school

So our first step has to be shifting our attitudes about poverty and dropping the deficit views of low-income families

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The Opportunity Gap

Not arguing that every educator is responsible for eliminating all of the inequities that make up this gap,

but that understanding students in poverty means understanding how it affects their experiences at school

and in our spheres of influence.

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Out-of-School Opportunity Gap

This opportunity gap is characterized by lack of access to:

Healthcare, including preventative healthcare

Quality childcareTutoring and other “shadow education”Recreational opportunitiesSafe housingWell-stocked public librariesValidating society

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In-School Opportunity Gap

This opportunity gap is characterized by the lack of access to:

Quality preschool Adequately funded schools School nurses, counselors, and other school

support services Affirming school environments (bullying) High academic expectations Higher-order, engaging pedagogies Opportunities for family engagement

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Case Study: Family Engagement

Families in poverty don’t value education, which is why they don’t participate in school-based involvement as consistently as wealthier families (culture of poverty view)

Opportunities for family engagement are not structured in ways that make sense for caretakers who work multiple jobs, work nights, can’t afford childcare, don’t have paid leave, use public transportation… (equity literacy view)

How might we solve this problem differently given these different views?

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Incorporate music, art, and theater across the curriculum (Pogrow, 2006; Wetz, 2004).

Less likely to have access out of school Improves engagement and performance

across subjects

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Have and communicate high expectations (Figlio, 2005; Jessim & Harber, 2005; Rouse & Barrow, 2006).

Pedagogically, especially

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Adopt higher-order, learner-centered, rigorous pedagogies (Kennedy, 2010; Ramalho, Garza, & Merchant, 2010).

Collaborative and cooperative learning Interactive and dialogic teaching

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Incorporate movement and exercise into teaching and learning (Basch, 2011; Fahlman, Hall, & Lock, 2006).

PE and recess being cut at high-poverty schoolsFit students perform better at school and—bonus!—are better behaved

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Make curricula relevant to the lives of low-income students (Duke et al, 2006; Haberman, 1991, Sanchez, in press).

Increases student engagement“Portage”

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Teach about poverty and class (Kelley & Darragh, 2011; Streib, 2011).

Provides students an opportunity to challenge stereotypes people have about them

Demonstrates our recognition of challenges students in poverty face outside of school

Use MLK, Helen Keller, Mark Twain, etc.

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Analyze learning materials for bias (Jones, 2008; Sano, 2009).

“Hobo”Often very subtle

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Promote literacy enjoyment (Kellet, 2009; Vera, 2011).

Use literature circles in which students choose a common book to read

Use a variety of media, including multimedia programs

Incorporate drama into literacy instruction

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Choose a resiliency view rather than a deficit view (Robinson, 2007).

Focus on family strengths rather than perceived weaknesses

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A Few Other Things to Work On

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Research-Based Strategies for Reaching and Teaching Students in Poverty

Advocate for universal preschool and kindergarten

Cultivate relationships with community agencies and organizations (in order to expand school-based healthcare services, for example)

Advocate for smaller class sizes Protect physical education and

recess Protect art, music, and drama

education

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Still Most Important:

Challenge deficit views of low-income families and work on shifting our own views, because our practice is guided by our ideologies about poverty

Be mindful of this reality when planning professional development

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Questions and Discussion!

Thanks!

Paul C. Gorskihttp://www.EdChange.org

gorski@edchange.org

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References

Almy, S., & Theokas, C. (2010). Not prepared for class: High-poverty schools continue to have fewer in-field teachers. Washington, DC: The Education Trust.

Basch, C. (2011). Physical activity and the achievement gap among urban minority youth. Journal of School Health, 81(10), 626-634.

Children’s Defense Fund [CDF]. (2008). Child poverty in America. Retrieved March 22, 2011, from http://www.childrensdefense.org/child-research-data-publications/data/child-poverty-in-america.pdf

CDF. (2010). The state of America’s School. Washington, DC: Author.Duke, N. K., Purcell-Gates, V., Hall, L. A., & Tower, C. (2006). Authentic literacy

activities for developing comprehension and writing. Reading Teacher, 60, 344–355.

Fahlman, M. M., Hall, H. L., and Lock, R. (2006). Ethnic and socioeconomic comparisons of fitness, activity levels, and barriers to exercise in high school females. Journal of School Health, 76(1), 12-17.

Figlio, D. N. (2005). Names, expectations, and the black-white achievement gap. Cambridge, MA: National Bureau of Economic Research.

Freeman, E. (2010). The shifting geography of urban education. Education and Urban Society, 42(6), 674-704.

Haberman, M. (1991). The pedagogy of poverty versus good teaching. Phi Delta Kappan, 73, 290-294.

Jennings, P. K. (2004). What mothers want: Welfare reform and maternal desire. Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 31(3), 113-130.

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ReferencesJessim, L., & Harber, K. D. (2005). Teacher expectations and self-

fulfilling prophecies: Knowns and unknowns, resolved and unresolved controversies. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 9(2), 131-155.

Jones, S. (2008). Grass houses: Representations and reinventions of social class through children's literature. Journal of Language and Literacy Education, 4(2), 40-58.

Kelley, J. E., and Darragh, J. J. (2011). Depictions and gaps: Portrayal of U.S. poverty in realistic fiction children’s picture books. Reading Horizons, 50(4), 263-282.

Kellett, M. (2009). Children as researchers: What we can learn from them about the impact of poverty on literacy opportunities. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 13(4), 395-408.

Kennedy, E. (2010). Improving literacy achievement in a high-poverty school: Empowering classroom teachers through professional development. Reading Research Quarterly, 45(4), 384-387.

Li, G. (2010). Race, class, and schooling: Multicultural families doing the hard work of home literacy in America’s inner city. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 26, 140-165.

Machan, S., Wilson, J., and Notar, C. (2005). Parental involvement in the classroom. Journal of Instructional Psychology, 32, 13-16.

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ReferencesPatterson, J. A., Hale, D., & Stessman, M. (2008). Cultural

contradictions and school leaving: A case study of an urban high school. The High School Journal, 91(2), 1-16.

Pogrow, S. (2006). Restructuring high-poverty elementary schools for success: A description of the Hi-Perform school design. Phi Delta Kappan, 88(3), 223-229.

Ramalho, E. M., Garza, E., and Merchant, B. (2010). Successful school leadership in socioeconomically challenging contexts: School principals creating and sustaining successful school improvement. International Studies in Educational Administration, 38(3), 35-56.

Robinson, J. G. (2007). Presence and persistence: Poverty ideology and inner-city teaching. Urban Review, 39, 541-565.

Rouse, C. E., & Barrow, L. (2006). U.S. elementary and secondary schools: Equalizing opportunity or replacing the status quo? The Future of Children, 16(2), 99-123.

Sánchez , L. (in press). Fostering wideawakeness: Third grade children researching their community. In J. Landsman & P. Gorski (Eds.), The poor are not the problem: Insisting on class equity in schools. Sterling, VA: Stylus.

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ReferencesSano, J. (2009). Farmhands and factory workers, honesty and humility:

The portrayal of social class and morals in English language learner children’s books. Teachers College Record, 111(11), 2560-2588.

Sherman, J. (2006). Coping with rural poverty: Economic survival and moral capital in rural America. Social Forces, 85(2), 891-913.

Streib, J. (2011). Class reproduction by four year olds. Qualitative Sociology, 34, 337-352.

Tayler, P., Kochhar, R., Fry, R., Velasco, G., & Motel, S. (2010). Wealth gaps rise to record highs between Whites, Blacks and Hispanics. Washington, D.C.: Pew Research Center.

Vera, D. (2011). Using popular culture print to increase emergent literary skills in one high-poverty school district. Journal of Early Childhood Literacy, 11(3), 307-330.

West-Olatunji, C., Sanders, T., Mehta, S., & Behar-Horenstein, L. (2010). Parenting practices among low-income parents/guardians of academically successful fifth grade African American children. Multicultural Perspectives, 12(3), 138-144.

Wetz, J. (2004) Promoting inclusion in school through the arts: a case study, Support for Learning, 19(20), 66–70.

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A big THANK YOU to our panelists and faculty!

Thanks to everyone for attending!

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