Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Out Og School Youth Bcause of Poverty

Good Essays
541 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Out Og School Youth Bcause of Poverty
Poverty and Academic Performance
Out-of-School Factors That Affect Student Achievement
 Schools often receive blame for their students’ poor academic performance even though the teachers and principals work to provide strong curricula, high expectations, and safe climates. However, there are factors other than those that can easily be controlled by the schools that can affect school performance more than what the teachers and principals do.
Out-of-School Factors
 Out-of-school factors (OSFs) must also be addressed in schools with large numbers of poor students. The school community and the general public acknowledge that poverty makes teaching and learning difficult for children who hurt physically or mentally, those who are hungry, lack proper clothing, or live in unsafe environments.
Teachers may be aware that children find it much harder, if not impossible, to learn or even care about getting an education or to hope that learning holds any reward for them. These factors must be addressed, but schools cannot be expected to remedy the problems caused by poverty without assistance from the public outside of the school.
In his March, 2009 article, “Poverty and Potential: Out of School Factors and School Success,” David C. Berliner listed six factors that are not related to school practices, but affect school performance in a negative way:
1. low birth weight and non-genetic prenatal influences on children
2. inadequate medical, dental, and vision care, often a result of little or no medical insurance
3. food insecurity
4. environmental pollutants
5. family relations and family stress
6. neighborhood characteristics
Berliner suggests that after-school programs, summer programs, and other enrichment programs that may not be available for children living in poverty, but could off set some of the ill effects of poverty, could be considered a seventh OSF.
Efforts to Increase Academic Performance
All of these out-of-school factors must be addressed if high poverty schools expect to increase academic performance in those schools. In addition, Berliner recommends that efforts be made to:
1. reduce drug and alcohol abuse
2. remove people from toxic environments
3. reduce absenteeism
4. reduce violence in families
5. provide morning, afternoon, and summer programs to make up learning gaps
School and Community Share Responsibility for Achievement
 Longitudinal studies done in the U.S. on poor students have clearly shown that although schools play a crucial role in educating students who live in poverty, responsibility for poor academic performance should not be placed solely on them. Communities and families must also provide support for disadvantaged students.
Reducing Effects of Poverty on Learning
 In its efforts to increase achievement the school should focus on a strong curriculum, identifying and providing for individual student needs, communication with parents, and providing a climate where children feel safe.
Some of the goals that community organizations and families might adopt are:
• reduce drug and alcohol abuse and violence
• provide safe home environments
• provide health care for all children
• increase time away from TV
• encourage reading
• eliminate hunger
• encourage children to attend school
Schools should no longer be evaluated by their test scores alone. The responsibility for caring for children lies with the whole community; schools, families, and community organizations. Out-of-school as well as in-school factors must be addressed.

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    3.8 million children are currently living in poverty in the UK, one area in particular that is affected by this is education. By the time they start school, many poor children are already lagging behind, this can continue throughout their whole education.…

    • 456 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It becomes obvious that many poor children begin their young lives with an education that is far inferior to that of the children who grow up in wealthier communities. They are not given an equal opportunity from the start. Although all children are required to attend school until age 16, there are major differences in schools and they appear to be drawn along lines of race and social class. Locally here in California it was found that there was only a 1.5% dropout rate in…

    • 690 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    This paper includes a reference list of literature relating to the impact socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity has on academic achievement and what can be done to combat the achievement gap. In general, the literature seems to indicate that socioeconomic status has a greater impact then race or ethnicity on achievement. However, these constructs are often intertwined. The greatest source for combatting the achievement gap are teachers high in self-efficacy, strong and well directed principal leadership, having a positive and accepting racial climate, smaller class sizes, less harsh discipline with more support to reduce bad behavior, and better communication between parents and the school. Most authors agree, making education more meaningful and purposeful to the students would increase motivation to learn, which would increase success in academics. Almost all authors agree, professional development concentrated in these areas will reduce the achievement gap due to the increased academic success. There seems to be a combination quantitative and qualitative research.…

    • 3212 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Pellino, K. (2007). The effects of poverty on teaching and learning. Retrieved December 17, 2009 from http://www.teach-nology.com/tutorials/teaching/poverty/print.htm…

    • 1407 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    CYPOP 17

    • 3407 Words
    • 14 Pages

    Education – Research tells us that children and young people from poor families are lower down in their levels of education across all stages of the curriculum. A gap of nine months (on average) in learning shows poorer children to be behind that of Children coming from wealthy families when both groups of children are only 3 years of age (the brain is at this age is 80% developed). This gap increases as children remaining in poverty become older when compared to children of the same age that come from more affluent backgrounds. By the age of 11 Children who receive free school meals (sometimes their only meal of the day as children can suffer from malnutrition as a result of poverty) are estimated to be nearly 3 times behind that of children classed as living outside of poverty and alarmingly as the child becomes older the gap in attaining a good level of education increases until they finish secondary school.…

    • 3407 Words
    • 14 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Level 3 Diploma

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Poverty can have a negative effect on a child; the health needs may not be met. Poor diet, unable to afford specialised services and treatments.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The greatest obstacle regarding the attainment of education in a high-poverty school―resources. According to HuffPost Education, 51 percent of children across the country now live in poverty, and the numbers appear to be growing at a hypersonic speed (Slade, 2015). Whether it be the inability to access quality education (a problem for many developing and rural nations) or the inability to fund lunch and school supplies (such as up to date textbooks or computers), there are several inclinations imposed on the education system because of the inadequacy of wealth in several portions of the world, such as the United States. In poverty stricken communities, receiving and therefor employing education properly…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Family instability along with poverty effects many students today in America, and it is detrimental that the students that are affected by these aspects of life should be given every opportunity to succeed in life. There are many ways to identify these students so that school faculty can assist each child with a chance to succeed. The Building effective schools program has been designed to assist each student with receiving the things that they are in need of, along with reaching out to their families to allow them to have a different outlook on school and receiving an education. The Building Effective Schools program with also allow social resources to be made available to the students and parents that are within the community so that the students can have a greater chance for success.…

    • 1174 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Author Alfie Kohn explains that, “Research has repeatedly found that the amount of poverty in the communities where schools are located, along with other variables having nothing to do with what happens in the classrooms, accounts for the great majority difference in tests scores from one area to the next”(7). A factor such as resources available to the school as well as the level of affluence of the community in which the school is located contributes to these students setbacks. Test results show primarily socioeconomic status and available resources. In other words they tell us how the students’ houses are. One educator suggested that a way to save time and money would just be by asking a single question: “How much does your mom make?...OK, you’re on the bottom” (Kohn 7). Though that statement is slightly exaggerated, it does have some truth to it. Students, teachers, and schools should not be punished because of test scores especially considering all the socioeconomic factors included. Statistics and facts show that schools in better communities have more successful students while students who attend schools in more urban, low income areas are less successful when compared to students living in better economic communities. This is not the fault of the children therefore they should not be held accountable or punished by not receiving money and grants just because tests scores…

    • 1728 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The lack of resources for schools constricts learning. Poverty stricken school districts in America receive inadequate funding. In his essay, Barber expands on the idea of poverty in school districts and the result from it. Barber states, “The richest school districts…spend…

    • 822 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Student living conditions many times dictate how well children do in school and they may help determine if a child may be a risk for dropping out. Sherry admits in her essay that in the past, she herself has excused many of her students’ less than desirable academic skills due to poor living conditions such as drug use in the home, alcoholism, poverty, and divorce. After giving more thought to the issue, Sherry decided to look at these failing students more as personal and professional challenges. She realized she needed to stop making excuses for their failures and do something about it. Yes, poor living conditions can be a contributing factor in a student’s academic downfall but they do not have to. Children need to know that hard work equals success and that no one will allow them to just breeze through school. Children need to have a healthy fear of failure and know that failing is a real threat. Teachers can help by finding creative and interesting ways to gain their students attention and…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Excluded children are the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society. They face enormous challenges that exist before they are even exposed to an educational setting. Although they would greatly benefit from empowerment through education, in addition, one must also consider how educational funds are utilized, distributed unequally, or used inefficiently in these communities. Ultimately, the school has the responsibility to ensure that all students have the same opportunity to learn, regardless of their background. Even when the community resources are limited; it is the responsibility of the educator to create an equitable environment in which all students have equal access to the necessary educational tools.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In records there is one low income community that can only afford to distribute 1 book every 300 students. Kids in poverty are 7 times more likely to drop out then a kid who is not in poverty, they say the reasons for this is because they need a job to provide for their family sometimes even babysit their siblings while their family works. It’s proven that children in poverty fall behind in school, Not being able to be there all the time or not being able to think straight can cause the education to decrease for children.…

    • 505 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Illiteracy in America

    • 3205 Words
    • 13 Pages

    The most important factor that contributes to the outrageous statistics of illiteracy is that of poverty. Poverty is an issue that more and more of our nation's children are coming face to face with and the price they must pay is unbelievably high. Poverty is considered a major at-risk factor (Leroy & Symes, 2001). The term at-risk refers to children who are likely to fail whether it be at school or life in general because of their life's social circumstances. Some of the factors that may place these children at-risk are: dangerous neighborhoods; young, uneducated parents; unemployment; and inadequate educational experiences. Teachers need to be aware of the circumstances that their students face and be able and ready to help these children find a balance between the cultural values that they may have and values emphasized in school. By providing emotional support, modeling, and other forms of scaffolding, teachers can help students use their strengths, skills, and knowledge to develop and learn ( Marlowe and Page, 1999).…

    • 3205 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    I. INTRODUCTION The large literature on the effect of school resources on student achievement generally finds ambiguous, conflicting, and weak results. Even quantitative summaries of the literature tend to reach conflicting conclusions. For example, based on the fact that most estimates of the effect of school inputs on student achievement are statistically insignificant, Hanushek [1986] concludes, ‘‘There appears to be no strong or systematic relationship between school expenditures and student performance.’’ By contrast, Hedges et al. [1994] conduct a meta-analysis of (a subset of ) the studies enumerated by Hanushek and conclude, ‘‘the data are more consistent with a pattern that includes at least some positive relation between dollars spent on education and output, than with a pattern of no effects or negative effects.’’ Much of the uncertainty in the literature derives from the fact…

    • 14418 Words
    • 58 Pages
    Powerful Essays

Related Topics