Poverty Chapter 4

"The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer." This is a strange way to start off an article because of the fact that not only is it shocking to read, but it is also very true. Everyday in more ways than one poverty plays a role in people's lives. Whether it is going to the store and using Welfare or going to the park in holy clothes, buying all of your clothes from yard sales or thrift stores or accepting donations from charities. Poverty is a huge problem in American lives and except for very few organizations who take more of the money from donations for their own profit then they actually donate, no one seems to be doing anything about it. A teacher's job is to make sure that all of their students are treated equally and can all focus on the task at hand and each have the opportunity to try to accomplish their absolute best when it comes to school. As a teacher it is important to be able to address who your poor students are. "in terms of sheer numbers, the majority of poor Americans are white; however, the rate of poverty is higher among minorities." Another particular quote I found in this article amazed me, it said, ""children make up about one-fourth of the total U.S. population, but they constitute 35 percent of the poor."
Nobody disputes that urban school districts are confronted with multiple
challenges. The isolation of urban neighborhoods, concentrated poverty, and family
instability all contribute to the severe conditions and risks of failure in urban schools.
Kincheloe (2004) states “. . . nowhere are the obstacles to success and the existential
needs of the students as great as in urban areas” (p. 4). These issues are further magnified
in the schools when teachers are not adequately prepared for this type of environment,
lack cultural sensitivity and awareness, and use pedagogical methodologies that are not
culturally congruent. Although there are occasions of impressive educational success, the
vast majority of urban schools continue to face “savage inequalities” that impact learning
and achievement (Kozol, 1991).
Kincheloe (2004) contends that the existing literature on urban education falls
short in providing teachers and other educational professionals a balanced understanding
of teaching in the urban context. He further states that teachers need to develop a deep
understanding of the “nature and needs of urban students” (p. 16). For education to move
forward in narrowing the achievement gap between urban and nonurban populations,
teachers need to understand the urban culture and social conditions, and use this
awareness to adapt pedagogical practices and methodologies so that they reflect students’
cultural references (Banks, 2001; Ladson-Billings, 1994). If the ideological context of
‘urban’ is addressed in the pedagogical knowledge and practices of teachers, urban
students will be provided with richer learning experiences, which in turn will impact
http://www.usca.edu/essays/vol172006/mckinney.pdf
Responding to the Needs of At-Risk Students in Poverty
Sueanne E. McKinney
Charlene Flenner
Old Dominion University
Wendy Frazier
George Mason University
Lyndon Abrams
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte