Poverty in Education 2
Problem
There are American school-aged children living in poverty and, no blame of their own
families , are simply existing rather than flourishing. While poverty is in fact a world-wide issue,
more children are in fact living in poverty while currently attending American schools that are
unable to meet their needs. Poverty is defined as “the state or condition of having little or no
money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor.” (dictionary.com, 2019) Living in
poverty is often the catalyst for additional problems such as food scarcity ,lack of clothing,
domestic violence, homelessness, and lack of parental guidance.
Children who live in poverty are typically classified as at-risk, meaning that they are
likely to fail school assignments due to their economic status. According to the National Center
for Children in Poverty “About 15 million children in the United States – 21% of all children –
live in families with incomes below the federal poverty threshold.”(NCCP, 2019) These
impoverished children are sent to school hungry, not dressed properly and not equipped to learn.
“The living environments and the culture of poverty often leave poor children with low levels of
motivation to learn. They often have the feeling they want or need to escape this environment
and do better; but they feel they have no control over the nature and quality of their lives.”
(TeAchnology, n.d.) The despair of their home lives destroys their motivation to learn or to
shine in school.
The public school system should be better equipped to meet these at-risk students needs
so they are able to flourish, rather than just exist. We as trusted educators, should be concerned
about this at-risk population. Azzi- Lessing and Schorr state “These early years are when
consistent nurturing and stable relationships are most crucial.” (Azzi-Lessing & Schorr, 2017) It
is essential that all educators learn to identify these danger signs of childhood poverty in their
classrooms and intervene immediately to support their learning and growth.
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Practices, Policies or Procedures that Led to the Problem
Children believe when they exit school, they need to make money, rather than prevailing
in a career. This perpetual cycle continues generational, and these children grow up and raise
children themselves in poverty either by working minimum wage jobs or working under the
table odd jobs. Lower educated parents, unemployment, abuse and or neglect, and homelessness
are all effects of poverty. Poverty sometimes can result in a job loss, single-parent households, or
medical , health issues result in loss of income or exuberant health care bills. “Today, the
majority of poor renting families in America spend over half of their income on housing, and at
least one in four dedicates over 70 percent to paying rent and keeping the lights on.” (Desmond,
2016) Minimum wage varies from state to state, the cost of living and necessities is on the rise
and minimum wage cannot sustain these costs. Children are unable to focus and be productive in
school with the amount of problems they face.
Importance of the Problem
Academic and behavioral issues leads to failure to thrive while in school. According to
TeAchnology, some of these problems are “delay in language development, delay in reading
development, aggression, violence, social withdrawal, substance abuse, irregular attendance, and
depression.” (TeAchnology, n.d.) Children in poverty have difficulty completing homework due
to a lack of resources, unstructured home lives, missing school, and are not motivated to learn.
There can also be the inability to focus and concentrate, disrupting the class and being unruly.
This can also lead to strong social problems. Azzi-Lessing and Schorr go mention that “Being
poor in childhood is a strong risk factor for low educational
Poverty in Education 4
achievement, school dropout, teen parenthood, and other undesirable outcomes. Growing up
poor robs millions of children of the opportunities necessary to become a well-functioning adult
and a contributor to, rather than a drain on, the nation’s economy.” (Azzi-Lessing & Schorr,
2017)
Steps Taken to Address the Problem
“As teachers and educators, we have an extraordinary opportunity to influence the course
of our students’ lives and futures.” (Budge & Parrett, 2018) There is an opportunity within public
schools to take the necessary steps to learn, understand, and build a safe learning environment
for our at-risk students. We must be advocates for all our students. “Early childhood
interventions can play an important role in addressing poverty in America. These interventions
need to be broad in their focus, and need to address issues of early childhood schooling and high-
quality child care, as well as addressing family circumstance and parenting practices.” (Kearney
& Harris, 2014)
Schools across the United States have already developed free resources to their at-risk
children to provide food, clothes, access through various resources such as pantries and
donations. Free and reduced meals, electronic devices such as laptops that can be used to do
school assignments and provide free tutoring. High schools offer open enrollment to a technical
or community colleges to provide students with easier paths to a stable career after graduation.
Community outreach programs are also instrumental in providing resources to low-income
parents.
These organizations also support families with children who have learning and developmental
disabilities as well.
Poverty in Education 5
Biblical Worldview
The bible promotes multiple lessons in the church to care for the poor. The bible teaches
us to be giving and provide for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Jesus’ ministry calls
for us to be selfless and to give to the poor. In the gospel, we know Jesus tells the righteous , “I
was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me drink; I was a
stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I
was in prison, and you came to Me” (verses 35-36) (Matthew 25:31-46) As Christians, it is our
moral and spiritual duty to do all we can to provide for those who need a blessing.
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References
Azzi-Lessing, L. & Schorr, L.B. (2017). Behind from the Start: America’s War on the Poor Is
Harming Our Most Vulnerable Children. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc.
Budge, K. & Parrett, W. (2018). Disrupting Poverty: Five Powerful Classroom Practices.
Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development
Desmond, M. (2016). Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City: New York, NY:
Penguin Random House LLC.
Dictionary.com, (2019) Retrieved from: https://www.dictionary.com
Kearney, M. S. & Harris, B.H. (2014). Policies to Address Poverty in America [PDF file].
Retrieved from:
https://www.hamiltonproject.org/assets/files/policies_address_poverty_in_america_full_b
ook.pdf
National Center for Children in Poverty (2019). Child Poverty. Retrieved from:
http://www.nccp.org/topics/childpoverty.html
TeAchnology, (n.d.) The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning. Retrieved
from: www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/
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