What We Learned - Specfic Interventions for Students From Poverty

TIER 1 INTERVENTIONS:

(The following are from Payne, 2006)
•Organizing a school-wide homework support club
•Utilizing a supplemental school-wide reading program that meets the needs of low-income students (with explicit instruction in vocabulary, etc.)
•Keeping students with the same teachers for more than one year in order to help develop positive adult relationships
•Teaching coping strategies as a whole, specific to issues of childhood poverty (anxiety)
•Provide parent training and contact through video so that parents who are not literate can still participate. This also reduces problems associated with access to transportation.
•Direct teaching of classroom survival skills – many students need explicit instruction regarding how to survive in an education setting. Examples could be Skills for School Success by Anita Archer or Skillstreaming, by Dr. Arnold P. Goldstein and Dr. Ellen McGinnis.

From Casel.org: (these programs are suitable for children from poverty because they address many of the social/emotional needs that are unique to this population)

•Caring School Community (Child Development Project) – K-6 program that focuses on strengthening student connections with building a school of community based on caring relationships.
•Know Your Body – health education curriculum focused on nutrition, exercise, safety, disease prevention, dental care, substance abuse, and violence prevention.
•Project ACHIEVE – Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Program focusing on school safety. Includes Stop and Think Social Skills curriculum. Intended to promote social skills, conflict resolution, and a positive school climate.
•I Can Problem Solve (ICPS)- Prevents anti-social behavior and promotes non-violent resolution of problems.

TIER 2 and 3 INTERVENTIONS

•Many of the interventions listed as Tier 1 can be used as Tier 2 or 3 interventions, depending on the severity of need at the building level. If only portions of your building are from impoverished areas, then interventions may be more appropriate at Tier 2 or 3. Otherwise, areas that have large populations of children living in poverty need to address these issues on a universal level.

Video on Literacy Programs:
http://multimedia.savethechildren.org/video/idol-gives-back/video-box-stc-idol-mckee-literacy-vignette_400x300.html

For more information:
•http://www.casel.org/programs/selecting/php
•http://www.ahaprocess.com/store/Family_Framework.html
•http://www.amazon.com/Changing-Odds-Children-Risk-Educational/dp/0807750484/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275771317&sr=8-3

What We Want to Learn

Here are some things we are hoping to find out about poverty in schools:

• How to get services (tier 2 or 3) or provide services to families in poverty?
• What are some protective factors and how can we introduce them to families in poverty?
• What are the statistics of homeless children in the Chicagoland area?
• What kind of services can be provided at the universal level in schools and in the community?
• How can we prevent children from low income or impoverished families from struggling in school? And how do we connect parents and families to these services early on?
• What are the exact statistics regarding children from poverty and school success?
• What are the differences in services needed between low income families within low income communities versus low income families within higher income communities?

What We Already Know

Here are some things that we already know about children in poverty:

• Poverty exists everywhere, not just in urban communities


• Poverty is associated with increased academic risks, increased mental health risks, increased substance abuse, increased deliquency, and increased school drop out rates


• Children in poverty enter school with a significantly lower amount of language/vocabulary and prior knowledge/exposure to academic experiences. This contributes to a difficult entry into the academic culture