Professional Readings
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Professional Readings includes reviews of recent publications and highlights of reports on current issues that affect schools. Your contributions are welcome. Send them to principal@osu.edu. Please indicate if we may use your name in the “contributor” credits.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty
This month The Principal’s Office highlights the work of Ruby Payne, A Framework for Understanding Poverty (4th revised edition, 2005, aha! Process, Inc., Highlands, TX, http://www.ahaprocess.com/). This framework provides a lens for us to look at and understand some of the socioeconomic dynamics that affect the culture in the school. Her working definition of poverty is “the extent to which an individual does without resources.” She goes on to define the resources as follows:
Financial: Having the money to purchase goods and services
Emotional: Being able to choose and control emotional responses, particularly to negative situations, without engaging in self-destructive behavior. This is an internal resource and shows itself trough stamina, perseverance, and choices.
Spiritual: Believing in divine purpose and guidance.
Physical: Having physical health and mobility.
Support Systems: Having friends, family, and backup resources available to access in times of need. These are external resource.
Relationships/Role Models: Having frequent access to adults who are appropriate, who are nurturing to the child, and who do not engage in self-destructive behavior.
Knowledge of Hidden Rules: Knowing the unspoken cues and habits of a group.
The book offers ideas and examples of support systems that schools can develop to ensure that all students have a better chance at succeeding. For example, schools can provide homework support that includes, tutoring, transportation, and extra homework materials that can be kept at home. Schools can provide supplemental school wide reading and technology supports to help students when parents may not be able to provide these supports at home. Student support systems may include teaching students how to develop interpersonal, mediation or problem-solving skills. It also may involve advocacy programs matching students with adult role models and advocates. Parent training and involvement systems are other ways schools can build in supports for their students.
This revised edition offers research notes and references that would provide excellent materials for a professional learning community in a school and for ongoing, job-embedded professional development.
