A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING POVERTY

1. RUBY PAYNE, Ph.D. A FRAMEWORK FOR UNDERSTANDING POVERTY Brook Bauer October 4, 2007

2. Background • B.A. from Goshen College • Master’s from Western Michigan University • Doctorate from Loyola University • Has served as a secondary teacher, elementary principal, and a central-office administrator • Since 1994 she has trained as many as 25,000 educators a year on her philosophy of understanding children from poverty

3. Definition of Poverty • The extent to which an individual does without resources. Poverty is more about resources than about money.

4. RESOURCES • Financial • Emotional • Mental • Spiritual • Physical • Support systems • Relationships/Role Models • Knowledge of hidden rules

5. Definitions: • Financial– having the money to buy goods and services • Emotional- being able to choose and control emotional responses to negative situations • Mental-having the mental abilities and acquired skills to deal with daily life (reading, writing, computing) • Spiritual- believing in divine purpose and guidance • Physical- health and mobility • Support systems- friends, family, resources available in times of need • Relationship-role models- access to adults who are appropriate, nurturing and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior • Knowledge of hidden rules- Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group

6. Implications for School Personnel • Other resources are more important than money in poverty. These resources are the ones that teachers can impact as role models, support systems, and educators of middle class rules. • Analyze the resources of your students before dispensing advice. Realize that time, money, transportation, supervision, telephone, computer access, food, clothing and shelter may not be available. • Kids have difficulty being concerned about homework if they are worried about their basic needs not being met or if they don’t expect to be here long.

7. KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER • Poverty is relative • Poverty occurs in all races and countries • Generational and situational poverty are different • Students bring the hidden rules with which he/she was raised • Schools operate from middle-class norms and rules • We must understand the hidden rules of poverty and teach them the rules that will make them successful at school and at work.

8. Current Statistics • In the U.S. , in 2001, the poverty rate for children under 18 was 16.3%. For children under 6, the rate was 18.2% • There were 6.8 million poor families in 2001. • The U.S.’ child poverty rate is often 2 or 3 times higher than that of most other industrialized Western nations.

9. Comparison of Poverty Among Ethnicity 2000 U.S. Census

10. Family Unit Size 48 Contiguous States and D.C. 1 $ 8,980 • 2 12,120 • 3 15,260 • 4 18,400 • 5 21,540 • 6 24,680 • 7 27,820 • 8 30,960 • For each additional person, add  3,140 • 2003 HHS Poverty Guidelines • SOURCE:  Federal Register, Vol. 68, No. 26, February 7, 2003, pp. 6456-6458.

11. Poor Children: • Are much more likely to suffer developmental delay and damage, to drop out of school, and to give birth during the teen years • More likely to be in single-parent families …median female wages in the US at all levels of educational attainment are 30-50% lower than male at the same level of educational attainment.

12. Poor children: • Are 7 times more likely to be the victims of child abuse or neglect • While the number of white children in poverty is the largest group, the percentage of children in poverty in minority groups is higher.

13. Hidden rules of poverty • The noise level is high • The most important information is non-verbal • One of the main values of an individual to the group is to entertain

14. HIDDEN RULES OF POVERTY Poverty promotes strong beliefs in fate therefore discipline is NOT ABOUT CHANGE, it is about “penance and forgiveness.” Do not expect change due to discipline.

15. Hidden Rules of Poverty • Any extra money is shared. • Relationships are more important that money

16. HIDDEN RULES OF POVERTY • In poverty separation is not an option to avoid conflict. You may need to be able to physically defend your turf. • Poverty perpetuates itself by supplying role models who only know its rules of behavior. • Poverty is more about other resources than it is about money.

17. Hidden Rules

18. THE COST • To move from poverty to middle class or middle class to wealth, an individual must give up relationships for achievement. • Developing relationships with students is imperative.

19. Developing Relationships The teacher: • Calls on everyone in the room equitably • Provides individual help • Gives “wait” time • Asks questions in such a way that clues are given within question • Asks questions that require more thought

20. Developing Relationships (continued) The teacher: • Tells students whether their answers are wrong or right • Gives specific praise • Gives reasons for praise • Listens • Accepts feelings of the student • Gets within arms reach of each student every day

21. Implications for Educators • Educators have tremendous opportunities to influence some of the non-financial resources that make such a difference in students’ lives. It costs nothing to be an appropriate role model.

22. Students from poverty may: • Be very disorganized, frequently lose papers, don’t have signatures • Have many reasons why something is missing, or the paper is gone • Not do homework • Be physically aggressive • Like to entertain

23. Students from poverty may: • Only see part of what is on the page • Only do part of the assignment • Not be able to get started • Not monitor their own behavior • Laugh when they are disciplined

24. Students from poverty may: • Decide whether or not they will work in your class based on whether or not they like you • Tell stories in casual register • Not know or use middle class courtesies • Dislike authority • Talk back

25. Registers of Language • Every language in the world has 5 registers or levels. The three educators need to be concerned about are: formal, consultative, and casual.

26. Registers of Language • Formal language---word choice of work and school---complete sentences and specific word choice • Consultative language---formal register used in conversation, but not as direct as formal register • Casual---used between friends, syntax incomplete

27. Implications for Educators • Have students write in casual register (for example write the way they talk, you know, yeah, huh, etc.) Then translate to formal register. • Tell stories in formal and casual register. Have students explain the difference.

28. Implications for Educators • Formal register needs to be directly taught. • Casual register needs to be recognized as the primary discourse for many students.

29. SET HIGH EXPECTATIONS • High expectations should be set for academics as well as behavior. • No excuses should be accepted and different standards should not be used.

30. Implications for Educators • Resources of students should be analyzed before dispensing advice or seeking solutions. What may seem to be very workable suggestions from a middle class point of view may be virtually impossible given the resources available to those in poverty.

31. Sources • A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Payne, Ruby K., Ph.D., 1996. • Indiana Department of Education Website: http://www.doe.state.in.us/ • Federal Register, Vol. 68, No. 26, February 7, 2003, pp. 6456-6458