Framework for Understanding Poverty

According to Dr. Payne, there is a uniqueness about generational poverty that must be recognized when teaching children living in extreme poverty. That well-documented point reveals how America’s school systems have fractured into two totally different formats---there is the positive environment found in many affluent suburban towns, and the dysfunctional conditions seen in many urban and economically depressed towns where the children arrive at school and are suddenly faced with a very different environment. This book deals with the latter group of schools. Dr. Payne quotes Anne C. Lewis: “At the core of the problems of those on or nearly on welfare is the inadequacy of the schools’ efforts to teach what they should first and foremost---language.” Children must learn to read, write, speak, and listen. Without literacy skills, a child will probably be unable to break out of the “inter-generational cycles of poverty.” Payne presents useful charts and graphs on the subject—One shows that of those children under five years of age living in extreme poverty, only 3% were in families with married parents; of those children living in poverty, only 10% were in families with married parents. In 2003, 54% of children under six living with single mothers experienced poverty, five times the rate for children in married family households. She writes, “The rise of the single parent family has led to increased poverty among both adults and children.” The DEA reports that 54% of adult Americans read and write below a 6th grade level and that 21% are illiterate. The NAEP reported that 37% of 4th grade students performed below the NAEP Basic level in 2022—about the same as in 1992. And 15% of school age children do not graduate from High School. Those numbers reveal the substantial failure of our schools to prepare many of our children for meaningful lives. One-third cannot even read or write properly! A key point the author makes is that the ability for a child to escape poverty is based more on non-financial resources than on having the finances to move upward. She answers Susan Mayers who asked, “How important is money in enabling families to help their children escape poverty,” by concluding “It doesn’t matter much.” What they need is a strong family, friends who provide support, role models to emulate, emotional control, and persistence. However, teaching the 3-Rs and rational/logical thinking should not require 12 years of instruction. Only one-half of high school students take college preparatory courses. Wouldn’t it make sense to offer useful courses in the middle and upper grades, to provide the tools that would help them break the bonds of poverty? How can they be expected to prosper as adults with no understanding of economics, civics, and finance? The best way to escape poverty is to understand the rudiments of personal finance, budgeting, investing, buying a home, how mortgages work, the impact of inflation, the nature of corporations and the stock market, the magic of compound interest, the evil of usurious debt, and the terrible odds in gambling. Knowledge of those essential educational tools could not only help prepare children for the future, but simple arithmetic and logical thinking would become more interesting and valuable if applied to those topics. Perhaps the best way to gain a student’s attention, and help lift themselves out of poverty, is to make the subjects taught relevant and useful? Most reviewers praise the book as a way for teachers and other support groups to understand and help students from poor families. The book provides many case studies of the dysfunctional environment that many children in poor families must contend with, and it correctly points a finger at the negative, limited, and defeated outlook that such environments breed in their children---the reason those children will find it difficult to enjoy the upward mobility that America was once famous for. However, there is little advice on ho

Nearly every workplace has a diverse cultural environment and poverty is one of the many differences among those working in corporate America. This book creates an easy means of minimizing the gap between the many levels incomes within a community.

This book links the connection between poverty and the learning system in a clear, consise manner. The "Hidden" rules are fact. The sections dealing with language levels, --verbal and non verbal are on target. It should be required reading for all Law Enforcement Officers. It is plain, factual, and goes at the root cause of failure to learn, failure to plan, function, and communicate. The result, -impulsive behavior that ends one up in the criminal justice system! Should be required reading for all law enforcement personnel Lt. Gary L. Hoffman, Director of Training and Education, Office of the Sheriff of Charlotte County,Florida.

Dr. Payne's book is essential reading for educators. Those who supervise people in the workplace who have roots in poverty would also benefit greatly from reading this book. It will affect the way in which you manage people. Dr. Payne makes all of us accutely aware of our own roots, our own middle class values and mindsets. A Framework for Understanding Poverty should become a part of every school's professional library. It will change the way in which you teach and discipline children from poverty. Our knowledge of children from poverty, and our skills in working with children from poverty must increase. Having worked as a teacher and administrator for 32 years, I have seen the impact of poverty on our schools firsthand. The growth rate for this segment of our population demands that we begin to look seriously at how we as educators interface with children from poverty. As members of a democratic society, we literally cannot afford not to attend to the issues related to poverty. Reading Dr. Payne's book will put you on the right path for your journey.

A Framework For Understanding Poverty, is the most useful book I have read in the twelve years I have been teaching. Payne gives solid reasons, not excuses, for the attitudes and behaviors of children living in poverty. Unlike some other authors, she does not stop there. Instead, she follows through by giving the reader practical ways to improve his or her dealings with these children who so often fall through the cracks.The book is well organized and enjoyable to read. My principal had the insight to buy a copy for the entire staff, and as a result many formidable discussions have arisen. I would recomend it to anyone in direct contact with children living in poverty.