1 Introduction to Poverty: Variables Affecting Students' Performance If there are amazing graces on this earth, I believe that they are these good children sent to us by God and not yet soiled by the knowledge that the nation does not love them. Jonathan Kozol Amazing Grace Mr. and Mrs. H have relocated from Mexico to work as agricultural laborers in California. They work hard in the fields. They have no health care insurance but do not want to use welfare -- this does not fit with their value sys -- 2 Language Skills and Behavioral Characteristics in Children of Families of Low Socioeconomic Status The only source of knowledge is experience. Albert Einstein Mark is now 2 years old. Mark's mother brings him with her to many places, including the food market. She has taught Mark to say, "Thanks, and have a nice day!" He was able to say this at approximately 22 months of age, much to the astonishment and amusement of the checkout clerks. Mark has an expressive vocabulary of 200 to 300 words. H -- 3 Considerations in Assessment of the Language Skills of Students from Low SES Backgrounds The journey of one thousand miles begins with the first step. Japanese proverb Marcos is in second grade, and Mark has just entered first grade. Both boys are struggling with reading. Despite Mark's excellent oral vocabulary and high phonological awareness skills, his first grade teacher is concerned about his reading comprehension. Because English is Mark's primary language, testing with a variety of meas.

4 Practical Strategies for Increasing the Oral Language Skills of Children From Low SES Families Language is power. Paulo Freire Marcos and Mark both are 3 years old. Marcos stays at home with his grandmother and baby brother while his parents work in the fields. He spends most of his days watching TV and entertaining himself as best he can in the small back yard of his home. No one reads to him because his parents and grandmother do not read or write. The household contains no books and only a -- 5 Practical Strategies for Increasing the Literacy Skills of Students From Low SES Backgrounds The limits of your language are the limits of your world. Ludwig Wittgenstein Mark is in kindergarten, and Marcos is in first grade. Both are struggling with reading and writing. Marcos can barely read. Writing is hard for him too. Spelling is especially difficult, and his teacher sends home a deficiency notice in all areas of written language. His parents don't understand exactly what the note says, b -- 6 Structuring the School Environment for Optimal Performance of Students from Low SES Backgrounds It takes a village to raise a child. African proverb After school, Marcos takes the bus home. Both of his parents are still at work. He struggles to complete his homework -- his parents are unable to help him with it because they do not speak English. After attempting unsuccessfully to complete his homework, Marcos spends most of the rest of the day and evening watching TV. Dinner is meager -- his paren -- 7 Practical Strategies for Enhancing Learning, Motivation, and Self-Esteem in Low SES Students It's not that I'm so smart -- I just stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein When Marcos starts kindergarten at age 5, he has never been in a structured setting outside of his home before. Not only does he not speak English.

he has no idea why things move along so quickly and are so rigidly scheduled. Just when he is enjoying drawing a picture, suddenly it is time to put the crayons away and go to rec -- 8 Poverty and Highly Mobile Populations: Mitigating the Impact of High Mobility and Chaos If there is a poor man with you, one of your brothers . . . you shall not harden your heart, nor close your hand from your poor brother -- but you shall freely open your hand to him, and shall generously lend him sufficient for his need in whatever he lacks . . . for the poor will never cease to be in the land . . . Deuteronomy 15:7-8, 11a It is the month of October. Both Marcos and Mark have October birthday -- 9 Considerations in Working with Families of Students from Low SES Backgrounds Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot un-educate the person who has learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid any more. Cesar Chavez   Marcos is struggling mightily in second grade. He should be reading 90 to 110 words per minute -- instead, he reads 5 words per minute. When I bring him into my speech room for testing, he tel -- 10 Some Words of Encouragement Let no one be deluded that a knowledge of the path can substitute for putting one foot in front of the other. Mary Caroline Richards, poet Even professionals who have armed themselves with all known useful strategies and interventions for helping students from low SES backgrounds sometimes find themselves with more questions than answers. As you come to the conclusion of this book, you may feel - as I often did during the writing of this book - overwhelmed as you t.