Working with Low SES Students

Information for K-12 Staff

Emily Warren

DISCLAIMEROTwo types of poverty

OGenerational vs. Situational

OFinancial CrisisOResearchODon’t make assumptions!

Definition of Low SESO SES is often measured as a combination of

education, income, and occupation. O It is commonly conceptualized as the social

standing or class of an individual or group. O When viewed through a social class lens, privilege,

power, and control are emphasized. O Furthermore, an examination of SES as a gradient

or continuous variable reveals inequities in access to and distribution of resources.

O SES is relevant to all realms of behavioral and social science, including research, practice, education, and advocacy.

Definition of PovertyO The extent to which an individual

does without resourcesO FINANCIAL: having the money to

purchase goods and servicesO EMOTIONAL: being able to choose and

control responses (demonstrated through stamina, perseverance and choices)

O MENTAL: Having the mental abilities and acquired skills to deal with daily life

Definition con’tO SPIRITUAL: believing in a divine purpose

and guidanceO PHYSICAL: having physical health and

mobilityO SUPPORT SYSTEMS: Having friends, family

and backup resources in times of needO RELATIONSHIPS/ROLE MODELS: Having

frequent access to adults who are appropriate, nurturing, and do not engage in self-destructive behaviors

Federal Poverty Line• The poverty guidelines are issued each year in the Federal

Register by the Department of Health and Human Services. • The guidelines are used for setting eligibility criteria for

a number of federal programs (%)• Programs that use FPL:

• Head Start• Children's Health Insurance Program• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,

Infants, and Children (WIC) • the National School Lunch and School Breakfast

programs• USDA Summer Lunch

• Job Corps

2012 Poverty Guidelines for the48 Contiguous States and the

District of ColumbiaPersons in Family/household

Poverty Guideline

1 11,1702 15,1303 19,0904 23,0505 27,0106 30,9707 34,9308 38,890

• For families/households with more than 8 persons, add $3960 for each additional person

FactsO More than one in five children in the

United States (15.75 million) lived in poverty in 2010.

O 1 out of 4 infants & toddlers are living in poverty

O More than 1.1 million children were added to the poverty population between the 2009 ACS and the 2010 ACS.

O Ten states had child poverty rates estimated at 25.0 percent or higher

FactsO In 2007, children under 5 living with a

single mother experienced a 53.7% poverty rate, more than 5 times the rate for children in married couple families

O Low SES urban youth are seven times more likely to be the victims of child abuse or neglect than a child of high SES

O The United States’ child poverty rate is substantially higher than that of most other major Western industrialized nations

Demographics

Charlottesville and Virginia

O www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms.../Price_of_Poverty.pps

Charlottesville City

Albemarle

County

Virginia

Per capita money income

$24,578 $36,685 $32,145

Median household

income

$42,240 $64,847 $61,406

Persons below

poverty level

27.1% 8.1% 10.3%

Communication StyleO Three aspects of language:

O RegisterO Frozen, Formal*, Consultative, Casual*,

IntimateO Schools use the formal register

O Discourse patternsO Formal: straight to the pointO Casual: around and aroundO Primary vs. Secondary discourseO Ramifications: acquisition vs, direct-teach

Communication StyleO Story structure

O Formal-Register story structureO Beginning- middle- end

O Casual-Register story structureO end or greatest emotional intensity first,

then told in vignettes with audience participation in between

• Because there is a direct link between achievement and language, it must be addressed• Counselors should encourage teachers not to

punish the use of the casual register, instead use them as teaching moments for the formal register

CharacteristicsO Background noiseO Importance of

personalityO Significance of

entertainmentO Importance of

relationshipsO Matriarchal

structure

O Oral-language tradition

O Survival orientation

O Importance of nonverbal comm.

O Polarized thinkingO TimeO Humor

How these characteristics can surface at school

O DisorganizationO Like to entertainO Laugh when they are disciplinedO Decide whether or not they will work

in class based on whether or not they like the teacher

O Talk back and are extremely participatory

Children and Adolescents living in poverty are more likely to:

O experience developmental delay and damageO drop out of high schoolO give birth during the teen yearsO be in single-parent familiesO suffer from a poorer home environmentO have less direction towards social attainmentO have less cognitive stimulationO have poorer healthO have worse child careO experience a less consistent and less warm

parenting style

Academic AchievementO Students from poor families are at disproportionately

high risk for dropout. O The dropout rate is ten times the rate among students

from higher income families O Students who participate in the free and reduced

price lunch program are likely to perform poorly in reading and math

O They are likely to receive low scores on standardized tests and report low overall GPA

O The proposed explanations for this disparity include stressors that students experience in their homes, schools, and communities that result from a lack of resources

Academic AchievementO Low SES students are less likely to earn

a degree from a four-year institution. O Students from families with low-income

or with parents who did not have a bachelor’s degree were more likely to drop out of college

O Higher college dropout rates among low SES students being related their disproportionately low enrollment in selective institutions.

HomelessnessO 1 in 45 Children in the U.S. are homelessO Over 1/3rd of the homeless population is now

made up with familiesO 22% of homeless children are separated from

their familiesO 90% moved within a single yearO Homeless children are sick four times more

often than other childrenO Hungry at twice the rate of other kidsO More likely to have emotional problems,

developmental delays, learning disabilities

Homelessness

An Education Framework for working with Homeless Children

O Develop awarenessO Attend to basic needsO Provide effective instructionO Create supportive environmentO Provide additional supportsO Collaborate with other organizationsO Promote parental involvement

Community ResourcesO WIC, SNAP, National School Lunch,

HeadStartO Collaborate with community

organizations including nonprofits, faith-based institutions and public resources such as libraries.

O http://www.211virginia.org/

Tips for EducatorsO Providing school suppliesO Being knowledgeable of resources in

the areaO Early/Late Parent Meetings

O Phone vs. email or lettersO Providing childcare for any meetings

O Offering culturally relevant interventions

O Utilizing unbiased assessmentsO Be aware of technology limitations

CounselingOPsychoeducational groups on

resiliencyOLife skills guidance or groupsOSpecific issues related to teen

pregnancy, physical abuse, violence, or substance abuse

OAdvocacyO High School

Books for School Counselors

ResourcesAmerican Psychological Association. (2012). Education and Socioeconomic Status. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/publications/factsheet-education.aspx

Albemarle County. (2012). The Price of Poverty [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from www.albemarle.org/upload/images/forms_center/.../Price_of_Poverty.pps

FILES: 2006-2010. American Community Survey. United States/prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau, 2011.

Hopson, L. and Lee, E. (2011). Mitigating the effect of family poverty on academic and behavioral outcomes: the role of school climate in middle and high school. Child and Youth Services Review, 22. 2221–2229.

Levine, Stephen Z. (2011) Elaboration on the association between IQ and parental SES with subsequent crime. Personality and Individual Differences, 50. 1233–1237.

Murphy, J. and Tobin, K. (2011). Homelessness comes to school. Kappan Magazine, 93(3). 32-37.

Murry, V., Berkel, C., Gaylord-Harden, N., Copeland-Linder, N., & Nation, M. (2011). Neighborhood poverty and adolescent development. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 21(1), 114 – 128.

Payne, Ruby. (2005). A Framework for Understanding Poverty (4th ed.). Highlands, TX: aha! Process, Inc.