In the book “Engaging Students with Poverty in Mind,” author Eric Jensen found seven differences between upper/middle income students and students who live in poverty: health and nutrition, vocabulary, effort, hope and growth mind-set, cognition, relationships and distress.

Health & Nutrition

Students from an economically disadvantaged background are less likely to get exercise or receive proper medical attention, and are more likely to eat foods with lower nutritional values and skip breakfast. Without proper health and nutrition, students have a harder time listening, concentrating and following directions. Poor diet affects behavior, which affects learning. Jamestown schools have begun to address this area through the Free Universal Meal program, which allows every student to receive free breakfast and lunch.

Vocabulary

A study showed that toddlers of middle- and upper-income families use more words when talking to their parents than economically disadvantaged mothers used when talking with their children. Students with limited vocabulary are likely to have difficulty learning to read, write, participate in classroom discussions, or even understand and follow directions. Teachers can address the vocabulary gap by introducing students to new words, and asking them to use them regularly in class discussion or daily games and routines.

Effort

Studies show that parents of economically disadvantaged students work as much as parents of upper- and middle-class parents. But, economically disadvantaged students sometimes seem like they are lacking in effort, which is often because of a lack of hope and optimism, not lack of effort. But study after study shows, the primary factor in student motivation and achievement isn’t the student’s home environment, but his or her school and teachers.

“One of the most important things I learned during the book study is how important it is to use a positive attitude, my passion for teaching and relationships to engage students,” said Sheila McIntyre, JHS teacher. “Engagement involves using different strategies to tap into the potential of each student and to do that as the author stated, a teacher has to ‘bring your A-game every single day’; that’s what I want to do. It helped me to re-discover my passion for teaching – for reaching every learner using engagement strategies that will work.”

Mind-Set

Oftentimes economically disadvantaged students see the world in a negative mind frame. If students think they can’t succeed, they probably won’t. If they think they aren’t smart enough, they won’t put out the effort.

“I ran a class for my students based on Carol Dweck’s ‘Mindset,’ so they could see that intelligence isn’t fixed, but that when they realize that they can actually become smarter, it empowers them,” said Phil Cammarata, Persell Middle School principal. For students with a growth mindset, success is about stretching themselves. It’s about getting smarter. When we get all teachers behind a growth mindset and then change the paradigm for students, then the culture of a school changes to unlimited possibilities for success.”

Cognition

Economically disadvantaged students often show cognitive problems such as poor working memory, short attention spans, distractibility, or may “act out” or “shut down.” In JPS, one out of three elementary students exhibit behaviors that are indicative of hyperactivity. Classroom activities need to include more problem-solving strategies, memory-building activities and breaks to increase focus.

“I am excited about sharing some of the simple strategies such as games that build cognitive capacity and ‘brain breaks’ to help increase focus,” said Marci Centi, Ring Elementary School teacher. “I felt this book had great insight and perspective on how our students are thinking and behaving. It gave research-backed strategies on how to help students overcome struggles and create a warm, productive classroom. I was also encouraged to know that overcoming some seemingly insurmountable or permanent hurdles is possible.”

Relationships

Economically disadvantaged students often do not get as many positive comments or interactions as middle- and upper-class students. Sometimes the adults in their lives have failed them, and students then think that any adult will fail them, including teachers. Students with under-developed social or emotional responses may be misinterpreted as having a lack of respect or even laziness.

“If in my life, I am not taught or modeled how to behave in certain situations, why would I automatically know how to demonstrate respect or kindness to others?” asked Jessie Joy, JPS director of curriculum, instruction and assessment. “It has to be part of our curriculum and responsibility to teach, model and reinforce these behaviors.”

Distress

We all know a little bit of stress can be good, even healthy. But distress is not, and economically disadvantaged students often live with chronic stress. Distress can affect brain development, academic success and social competence. It can make students disengaged and create a feeling of helplessness. Acute stress can cause students to be more aggressive, both verbally and physically. Helping to build stronger relationships, through JPS or the district’s partnerships with outside agencies help students deal with, and reduce the stress in their lives.

“I tell people, poverty is place but you are not stuck there,” said Tina Sandstrom, JPS director of schools. “Addressing these strategies and promoting a growth mind-set in our students will help them see that they have a world of opportunities and people who care about them and what happens to them in their lives. We can make a difference for all the children in the Jamestown schools. We just have to understand diverse points of views and backgrounds and how best to help each child individually succeed.”