Myths of poverty

The school I am currently working at has a poverty rate of 65%. It is, according to state demographics 87% white and rural. It is also, not unsurprisingly, underperforming. 29 % of the grades 3-8 students are proficient in ELA and 39% in math. It has an 87% graduation rate. Not a stellar school, but also not one of the worst in the state. Because they identify as a high poverty school, I began reading William H. Parrett and Kathleen M. Budge’s book, Turning High Poverty Schools into High Performing Schools.

Part of the beginning is a dispelling of poverty myths. I find it interesting because these ideas are so prevalent in our society today. I have taken the myths identified and looked at them through a more personal lens.

Myth- Poverty is an issue for people of color.

Where I work clearly demonstrates the problem with this idea. I, a white lady, grew up in poverty as the daughter of two college educated people in the suburbs. Poverty is clearly everywhere and affects all.

Myth- Government assistance gets people out of poverty.

My son has ASD. He is Medicaid and SSDI eligible. Consequently, he cannot have over $2000 in assets. He has a car he bought with back payments. When this car goes, how will he buy a new one? He cannot save money he might have left over at the end of the month. (Actually now with the ABLE accounts this is not strictly true, but for years it has been.) He uses his car to go to work (over 50 hours per week at minimum wage), which generates enough money that he receives no SSDI. We have put in place a system that encourages him to spend his entire income rather than save. When his car dies, how will he replace it and go to work? There are no buses where we live. The assistance is not helping him get out of poverty, it is helping maintain his poverty. Other people get caught in the I have to work, but do not earn enough to pay for childcare, so I do not work cycle. Our system consistently puts people in a no win cycle, rather than helping them out of the pit where they are.

Myth- People in poverty abuse drugs and alcohol at a higher rate than others.

Alcohol abuse is 10% higher in employed people than unemployed people. Prescription opioid abuse in higher in lower income brackets. Overall rates are the same; the drug of choice is different. (https://willingway.com/income-drug-alcohol-abuse/)

Myth- Poor people have a poor work ethic.

Again, my son is an excellent case in point. He works over 50 hours per week to earn a living: two part time jobs, neither of which provide any benefits. He rarely takes a day off. He has a good work ethic, just like many other working poor. Data suggests the working poor actually work more hours than their wealthier counterparts.

Myth- Education, which brings people out of poverty, is equally available.

If the fact that your zip code is a better determinant of your chance of academic success than anything else, nothing can persuade you. Schools in poorer areas tend to have higher staff turn over and  student absenteeism and lower access to health care. Our poorer students do not need an equal amount spent on them; they might need substantially more. In the town I grew up in (middle class suburb), graphing calculators were on the school supply list. In the school I work, they are in the math classrooms. Students do not have this tool to do homework outside of school the way they do in more affluent areas. The 20% staff turnover rate far exceeds the state average of 11%. When you constantly have an influx of new staff, results are not as good. I remember talking to students from a NYC school who talked about not having pencils or paper because neither the school nor the families could afford to provide them. For everyone who whines about not having a 1:1 device program (a program with highly variable results when looking at impact on achievement), think about those of us who struggle to lay our hands on devices to share between classes and those in other places who do not have wi-fi at all. All schools are not created equal.

 

Myth- Parents of students in poverty are uninvolved in education because they do not value it.

As a PTA leader, I have talked to many, many parents. They want a good education for their children. There are cultural groups that do not expect to have parent involvement in school- that is the purview of the teachers. Some parents had truly awful school experiences and cannot face the idea of going into a school. Many more, however, find the school schedule a challenge. If you work between 8 and 3, you are in direct conflict with school time. Banks finally caved on bank hours and are open late at least one afternoon and one weekend day per week. Imagine not being able to take a phone call. One of my son’s employers forbids cell phones on employee bodies during work hours. He cannot take a call or respond. During his breaks he can, but they are short and strictly regulated blocks of time. He is hourly. If he were to take off for something, he would not be paid. Many parents are in the same boat. Unpaid time means unpaid bills.

Few of my children’s teachers ever called after hours. Messages were often left for me to respond to at some point. Often I responded by email because that would be a way teachers could respond when they were able. Many teachers will email afterhours, but fewer will make that evening phone call. Although we think of high speed internet as ubiquitous, I have many families without it at their homes. Email is not a great way to communicate if you cannot retrieve the messages.

Many parents just do not know what role we expect them to play in educating their child. Do we want them to supervise homework, ensure it is correct and help the kids complete it? Do we want them to read to and with their kids every day? 14% of adults have a below basic literacy level. Many parents do not have the skills to support content area as kids approach high school. Do we want them to come in and share a party or special event or to volunteer at an activity? How are we facilitating that? One principal I knew about wanted parents to come in and volunteer but resisted providing a safe place for their belongs like coats and purses while in the building or convenient parking at the program. Do we allow them to park near the door they can use to enter the building or must they walk all around the building in the rain or sleet or snow to volunteer or attend a meeting? Do we offer things at various times to accommodate schedules? Do we have plans for transporting families to school for activities? Do we have plans for what to do with kids while parents are “involved?”  I worked in one school for students with significant disabilities. These kids could not be left alone, even if they were over 12. Most babysitters will not work with special needs populations, especially large teenage boys who need physical supports or interventions. How are they to come to the meeting or program? Parents of students living in poverty may not be able to afford child care for a meeting or school event. Are we going to look funny at my son who shouts at the end of a performance earlier announced to be about an hour, “Your time is up. You need to be done now.” even though he was thoroughly enjoying the activity? (True story) Do we put catches with things? If you come to open house and get your card stamped by your child’s classroom teacher you can have a free cookie, dinner, or raffle ticket. Is the notice sent out in a language that the parent understands? Just because the family speaks a different language at home does not mean they can read it fluently. 

We need to examine how we welcome parents and families, what our expectations are and what we do to communicate those expectations to our families. Otherwise, we are the ones with barriers to entrance. As the ones who want the cooperation, we need to make the most. A major point of the text is that each community must evaluate their needs profile. Problems in one area are not the problems of all geographies. With an open mind we need to identify our beliefs and how they support barriers so that we can tear down those walls.