What can teachers do to help poor students?

Seven ways to educate and respond to children who live in poverty:

1. Teach with confidence.
2. Establish high, consistent expectations and practices.
3. Make reading the default curriculum.
4. Use data to inform instructional changes.
5. Restructure time and space for more flexibility in responding.

How does poverty affect school?

The Effects of Poverty on Education Poverty reduces a child’s readiness for school because it leads to poor physical health and motor skills, diminishes a child’s ability to concentrate and remember information, and reduces attentiveness, curiosity and motivation.

How does poverty affect the brain?

On average, poor children also experience more developmental delays, emotional problems, and lower academic achievement. A growing body of research now shows that poverty changes the way children’s brains develop, shrinking parts of the brain essential for memory, planning, and decision-making.

How much should teachers be paid in the poorest schools?

The author, a former Clinton administration budget official, argues for increasing salaries of teachers in the poorest schools by 50 percent immediately—and by another 50 percent for the most effective teachers (and those in shortage areas) in these schools, bringing top pay in poor schools to well over $100,000.

Why is teacher recruitment important in poor schools?

With research showing that half the achievement gap facing poor and minority students is due not to poverty or family conditions, but to systematic differences in teacher quality, the question of teacher recruitment in poor schools is more than just the biggest issue in education. It’s the next great frontier for social justice.

What obstacles do low-income Americans face in the classroom?

Here are some of the major obstacles low-income Americans face in the classroom, whether they’re behind the teacher’s desk—or in front of it. It’s difficult to afford school supplies.

Are schools in America’s poor neighborhoods in crisis?

Urban America better hope so. No one should need much convincing that schools in the nation’s poor neighborhoods are in crisis. Students attending them are a full three grade levels behind students in higher-income areas, according to a recent Department of Education study.