Student Poverty Is a Major Problem that Needs to Be Addressed

Politicians will spend a great deal of time on plenty of school issues. Whether they are seriously concerned about the problems or just trying to sway more votes their way can be debated. However, one significant point that needs to be addressed is the number of impoverished students. 

 

The National Center for Education Statistics data details that in the 2000-2001 school year, 38 percent of all students in the United States qualified as low-income. According to the data acquired from the 2019-2020 school year, about 20 years later, that number has risen to 52 percent. With the financial struggles most are facing the last year with growing prices and inflation, the numbers are probably even worse this year. 

 

How Does Low-Income Affect Students?

The truth is, and there is no way to sugarcoat it, low-income students generally perform worse academically than their counterparts. Numerous studies have proven this. If a family has a consistent and stable income, their children will earn higher scores for many reasons.

• More emphasis is placed on school matters
• Parents home to supervise more often
• Parents were raised in an environment where grades mattered, and the trend continues
• Children can focus on grades instead of family financial difficulties
• More likely to have a two-parent household
• More (sometimes pricey) educational technology is available

Again, whatever the reason or reasons, something must be done to address the disparity between low-income and financially stable families regarding academic success.

 

Frequent Meetings with Parents

Poverty is often generational. This means if a student is struggling academically, with one of the main reasons being family financial difficulties, it could have been something that affected their parents when they were children as well. 

 

To help the family get out of the downward spiral, reach out to parents and meet with them frequently to help guide them into stressing the importance of education to their children. However, these parents are often the toughest to have a conference with as they can no-show frequently. So once again… the trend continues. 

 

Educators Must Build Relationships with Low-Income Students

Teachers should build relationships with all their students, but low-income children might need extra support. If they realize early on that they can confide in the teacher when they are struggling, something more can be done. 

 

Boost Self-Esteem

As someone from a family that often had financial difficulties, I can assure you that even young children know when their family is considered “poor.” It really does affect how a person sees themselves almost in every aspect. A child’s self-esteem can take a severe hit even at a young age. Instead of letting them focus on the negatives, try to boost their self-esteem by pointing toward how well they treat others, their manners, the subjects they excel at, and how bright their future could be. 

 

Have School Supplies on Hand

Especially in the primary grades, school supplies are considered essentials. Young children often need scissors, crayons, paper, glue, and about a billion other little items on their desks. Rather than allowing kids to do without when they do not have the funds to get these supplies, keep a bunch on hand. At the end of every year, when the student’s desks are cleaned out, there is usually a ton of perfect supplies that end up in the garbage. Rescue these and pass them to students needing them the following year. 

 

Pair Struggling Students with Successful Students

When students struggle with academics, they often have difficulty accepting help from parents and teachers. It is like they have a magic switch that they flip on and tune us out. If this is the case, pair the struggling student up with another student excelling. They might work well with one another.

 

Professional Development for the Staff

At iAchieve, we offer professional development on numerous topics that school staff should find valuable. If you are interested in professional development for your team on combatting student poverty or any of our other issues, reach out to us, and we can start the process today. 

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