Leadership Matters February 2014

Poverty in the public education classroom

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coming from a home that is considered impoverished. Read more about this and other impactful strategies in Marzano’s book titled “Classroom Instruction That Works” (2001 ASCD, Marzano, Pickering & Pollock). Marzano also pointed out that the teacher is the most important factor affecting student

learning. So the teacher has to know his/her subject area, learn and reflect on these teaching practices, and receive coaching on these practices once they are being implemented in the classroom. Marzano is not the only one with insights about classroom practice. Since the variance in student achievement is often greater between classrooms of students on the same grade level in the same school than it is between the schools within the same school district, this in-school variance is worth pursuing. The secret lies in finding out what the teacher who is succeeding with children of poverty is doing that is different from the teachers who have not been able to be as successful.

It is the work of Marzano, other researchers and the successful teachers in our schools that give us great hope in our ability to face head-on the dilemma of the achievement gap when it comes to children of poverty.

*Test Scores, Poverty And Ethnicity: The New American Dilemma, October 20, 2006 Phi Delta Kappa “Summit on Public Education,” Washington, D. C., Donald C. Orlich and Glenn Gifford, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4237.

“Poverty in and of itself is not necessarily a debilitating factor. Some families in poverty lack resources for such important skills as language development. For example, a lack of books, magazines or conversations with children by the adults puts children of poverty at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to the opportunity to hear and learn words... The intervention that is required to overcome any anticipated disadvantage for the condition of poverty is usually a combination of three or more elements such as: lower class size (especially with K-3), a developmentally appropriate curriculum, and the consistent use of research-proven best practices.”

--Dr. Peter Flynn, 2012 Illinois Superintendent of the Year

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