Beyond the ‘Culture of Beyond the ‘Culture of Poverty’ Myth: Creating Poverty’ Myth: Creating

Equitable SchoolsEquitable Schools

by Paul C. Gorski - by Paul C. Gorski - gorski@EdChange.orggorski@EdChange.org

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I. What We (Think We) KnowI. What We (Think We) Know

Class and Poverty Awareness Quiz

– Humility is key– Cognitive dissonance is inevitable

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I. Introductory BlabberI. Introductory Blabber

• Getting the most out of it:– Comfortable with discomfort– Respond positively to cognitive dissonance– Willing to be challenged and pushed

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I.I. Introductory Blabber:Introductory Blabber:Who We AreWho We Are

• Who’s in the room?

• My background and lens

• The gap (NMH story)

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I.I. Introductory Blabber:Introductory Blabber:Starting AssumptionsStarting Assumptions

1. All students deserve equitable access to the best possible education

2. Gross inequities in society and schools mean that all students don’t have equitable access

3. Poor people bear the brunt of almost every imaginable social ill in the U.S.

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I.I. Introductory Blabber:Introductory Blabber:ObjectivesObjectives

1. Understand class and poverty in the U.S. more complexly - consciousness

2. Learn what educators can do to ensure we aren’t contributing to the inequities

3. Learn what educators can do to counter the inequities - pragmatism

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I.I. Introductory Blabber:Introductory Blabber:The AgendaThe Agenda

1. Introductory Blabber (in progress)2. Stereotypes and the Poor3. Key Concepts4. The Big Picture: Ten Chairs and a

Pyramid5. Dimensions of Class Inequity in Schools6. Shifts of Consciousness 7. Being an Anti-Poverty Educator

Part II:Part II:

Stereotypes of the PoorStereotypes of the Poor

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

• Small groups: List all the stereotypes you know about poor people– And note where they come from

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Laziness

Ah, but: According to the Economic Policy Institute (2002), poor working adults spend more hours working per week on average than their wealthier counterparts.

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Don’t Value Education

Ah, but: Low-income parents hold the exact same attitudes about education as wealthy parents (Compton-Lilly, 2003; Lareau & Horvat, 1999; Leichter, 1978; Varenne & McDermott, 1986).

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Substance Abuse

Ah, but: Alcohol abuse is far more prevalent among wealthy people than poor people (Galea, Ahern, Tracy, & Vlahov, 2007). And drug use equally distributed across poor, middle class, and wealthy communities (Saxe, Kadushin, Tighe, Rindskopf, & Beveridge, 2001).

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

Stereotype: Crime and Violence

Ah, but: Poor people do not commit more crime than wealthy people—they only commit more visible crime. Furthermore, white collar crime results in much greater economic (and life) losses than so-called “violent” crime.

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II. Stereotypers Are UsII. Stereotypers Are Us

Where, then, do these stereotypes come from, and what are their implications?

…more on this later…

Part IIIPart III

For Cool Key ConceptsFor Cool Key Concepts

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III. Key ConceptsIII. Key Concepts

1. The ‘Culture of Poverty’

2. Deficit Theory

3. The “Undeserving” Poor

4. Neoliberalism

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III. Key Concept:III. Key Concept:The ‘Culture of Poverty’The ‘Culture of Poverty’

• What is it?

• Who made it up?

• What the research says

• Why it’s dangerous

• Where you’ve seen it in education

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III. Key Concept:III. Key Concept:The ‘Deficit Theory’The ‘Deficit Theory’

• Two Components

• Example: Payne’s reflections on Katrina (see handout)

• Why it’s dangerous

• Where you’ve seen it in education

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III. Key Concept:III. Key Concept:The ‘Undeserving Poor’The ‘Undeserving Poor’

• How it’s supported (‘culture of poverty’ myth and deficit theory)

• Why it’s problematic

• Its implications (“welfare reform”)

• How we’ve been duped

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III. Key Concept:III. Key Concept:The ‘Neoliberalism’The ‘Neoliberalism’

• The bottom line?

Part IVPart IV

The Big Picture: The Big Picture:

Ten Chairs and a PyramidTen Chairs and a Pyramid

Part VPart V

Application:Application:

Four Dimensions of Class Four Dimensions of Class Inequity in SchoolsInequity in Schools

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V. Class Inequities in SchoolsV. Class Inequities in Schools

• See handout

• Small groups:– One you’ve observed– One you’ve participated in– One you feel empowered to change– One you feel unempowered to change

Part VIPart VI

Shifts of ConsciousnessShifts of Consciousness

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #1VI. Shift of Consciousness #1

• Must be willing to think critically about those things about which I’ve been taught not to think critically– Corporate capitalism– Two-party political system– Consumer culture

• And the relationship between these things and racism

– Myth of meritocracy

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #2VI. Shift of Consciousness #2

• Must understand the intersectionality of class with race, gender, disability, and other factors. – We cannot fully understand poverty without

understanding how it relates to these issues.– Racism as economic exploitation

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #3VI. Shift of Consciousness #3

• Must expose and reject deficit theory and the “culture of poverty” myth– Blame people in oppressed groups for their

oppression– Create hostile conditions, then demonize

people for being angry or resistant

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #4VI. Shift of Consciousness #4

• Must acknowledge class-related inequities and oppressions—and understand them as systemic and not just individual acts and practices– So changing hearts isn’t enough to create

equitable schools—must prepare ourselves and others to change institutions and society

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #5VI. Shift of Consciousness #5

• Must regain a sense or urgency– “Change takes time”

• How much time does it take?• An expression of privilege

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #6VI. Shift of Consciousness #6

• Must challenge stereotypes– From students, peers, parents, bosses,

whoever…– And if you don’t have the information to

challenge the stereotypes, then actively seek it out

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #7VI. Shift of Consciousness #7

• Must refuse to mistake socioeconomic class with “culture”– Class is sociopolitical in nature—it’s largely

done to people

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #8VI. Shift of Consciousness #8

• Must be willing to unsettle and discomfort– Institutional likeability– Who am I trying to keep comfortable, and at

whose expense?

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #9VI. Shift of Consciousness #9

• Must be careful to avoid “saviour syndrome” or “messiah mentality”– This is an expression of supremacy and

privilege– Who, exactly, is being “saved” in anti-poverty

work?

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VI. Shift of Consciousness #10VI. Shift of Consciousness #10

• Focus on understanding the cultures and forces of power and privilege, not only on the experiences and cultures of the dispossessed “other”– We cannot understand class and poverty

without understanding the influence of the wealthy elite on education

Part VIIPart VII

What We Can DoWhat We Can Do

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Challenge & Support Each OtherChallenge & Support Each Other

• Strengthen “the choir.”

• Challenge each other. Be brutally honest. Worst possible case is people committed to class equity contributing to inequity and injustice.

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Fight for Poor StudentsFight for Poor Students

• Fight to keep poor students from being places unfairly into lower tracks.

• And fight to get them into gifted and talented programs.

• Or fight tracking altogether.

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Teach About Class and PovertyTeach About Class and Poverty

• Lack of living wage jobs

• Dissolution of labor unions

• Growing wealth gap

• Corporate control of government

• Etc.

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Take Back Our HeroesTake Back Our Heroes

• Resist whitewashing or commercialization of social justice heroes who fought for class equity– MLK– Helen Keller– Mark Twain

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Help Students with NecessitiesHelp Students with Necessities

• Keep extra coats, school supplies, and snacks around.– Distribute them quietly.

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Rethink Parent InvolvementRethink Parent Involvement

• Is it equitable? Is it accessible to all parents, such as those who:– Can’t afford childcare or public transportation– Don’t have jobs with paid leave?– Work multiple jobs?– Experienced school as hostile when they were

students?

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Be AssessedBe Assessed

• Invite a colleague to observe your interactions with students and give you feedback

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Have High ExpectationsHave High Expectations

• Give poor students access to high-quality, higher-order thinking curriculum and pedagogy—the kind usually reserved for their wealthier peers

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Be RelevantBe Relevant

• Make sure examples and content are relevant to the lives of poor students

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Be PersistentBe Persistent

• Continue reaching out to poor families who you experience as unresponsive—and don’t assume you know why they’re being unresponsive– We don’t make up for generations of hostility

with one or two phone calls…

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Be ThoughtfulBe Thoughtful

• Never assume that all students have easy access to computers and the Internet– Do not assign work requiring these resources

without providing in-class time to complete them

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Don’t “Let Them Eat Cake”Don’t “Let Them Eat Cake”

• Fight to ensure that school lunches offer healthy options– School-served breakfasts are infamous for

being unhealthy

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Be Careful with CorporationsBe Careful with Corporations

• Carefully review corporate-school partnerships

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Use Best PracticesUse Best Practices

• Research has shown that there is no set of “best practices” specifically for teaching poor students—but that “best practices” are “best practices” if we can assess where students are

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VII. What We Can Do:VII. What We Can Do:Evaluate MaterialsEvaluate Materials

• Make sure your classroom or office materials or decorations do not stereotype—even if subtly—poor people

Part VIIIPart VIII

A Few Quotes:A Few Quotes:

Who Said It?Who Said It?

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“And one day we must ask the question, Why are there forty million poor people in America? And when you begin to ask that question, you are raising questions about the economic system, about a broader distribution of wealth. When you ask that question, you begin to question the capitalistic economy.”

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“I am a socialist because I believe that socialism will solve the misery of the world — give work to the man who is hungry and idle and at least give to little children the right to be born free.”

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“In a country well governed poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed wealth is something to be ashamed of.”

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“The distinctions separating the social classes are false; in the last analysis they rest on force.”

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“We have deluded ourselves into believing the myth that capitalism grew and prospered out of the Protestant ethic of hard work and sacrifices. Capitalism was built on the exploitation of black slaves and continues to thrive on the exploitation of the poor, both black and white, both here and abroad.”

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VIII. QuotesVIII. Quotes

“Who are the oppressors? The few: the King, the capitalist, and a handful of other overseers and superintendents. Who are the oppressed? The many: the nations of the earth; the valuable personages; the workers; they that make the bread that the soft-handed and idle eat.”

Paul C. GorskiPaul C. Gorski

gorski@edchange.orggorski@edchange.org

http://www.EdChange.orghttp://www.EdChange.org