The effects of poverty are so tightly interwoven with its roots that at times it

results very difficult to determine if a poverty-related issue is a cause of it or

caused by it. Using education as an example of this: people living in poverty have
limited access (if any at all) to education at any level, which in turn makes it
nearly impossible for them to find a job with a wage that allows them to gain
access to education. These people continue to be poor and their children are
born into poverty, with no hopes of improving their lives. These causes-effects,
or factors, that perpetuate poverty in a household are known as the cycle of
poverty. Families who fall in this cycle tend to stay in it “for enough time that the
family includes no surviving ancestors who possess and can transmit the
intellectual, social, and cultural capital necessary to stay out of or change their
impoverished condition” (Melio, 2015).

Cognitive Readiness
The relationship between poverty and education shows in the students’ levels of cognitive readiness.
The physical and social-emotional factors of living in poverty have a detrimental effect on students’
cognitive performance. Some children have short attention spans, some are highly distractible, and
some cannot effectively monitor the quality of their own work.

Poor nutrition and health also influence how children learn. Exposure to lead, most commonly found
in the paint in older, run-down homes and buildings, has been linked to poor working memory and an
inability to make cause-and-effect connections. Chronic ear infections cause hearing loss, which
makes it more difficult to follow directions.
Vocabulary plays a major part in cognitive development and student success in the classroom.
Children living in poverty do not participate in lively conversations like their middle-class
counterparts. By the time students enter kindergarten, children from poor families have heard only
half as many words as their middle-class counterparts. The disparity increases in comparison to
upper-income families. This lack of exposure to a rich and interesting vocabulary can leave students
behind in academic conversations.

Many students who cannot understand the words in their texts will resist reading altogether. In
addition, students will refuse to participate in discussions they do not understand simply because
they do not want to ask for clarification. According to ldonline.org, it is not uncommon that children
who struggle with academics would “rather look naughty than stupid.”

Funding for Education

So, how can educators narrow the performance gap? One answer is better funding of early
childhood opportunities for at-risk students. The Early Learning Initiative provides funding to support
children from birth to third grade across the country, specifically targeting children with special
needs.
Another answer is meeting some of the children’s basic needs, like food and healthcare support at
school. Title I is a government program that provides financial assistance to support schools in
neighborhoods where families live below the poverty line. This program gives school districts
substantial latitude, allowing them to use the funds in ways that best meet their needs.
Another national program, Promise Neighborhoods, provides funding to local community
organizations, institutions of higher education and Native American tribes. According to their
website, “The purpose of Promise Neighborhoods is to significantly improve the educational and
developmental outcomes of children and youth in our most distressed communities, and to transform
those communities.”
However, according to a study done by the Southern Education Foundation, “In 40 of the 50 states,
low income students comprised no less than 40 percent of all public schoolchildren. In 21 states,
children eligible for free or reduced-price lunches were a majority of the students in 2013.” These
children do not enjoy books at home or regular trips to the library. They do not consistently
experience interesting dinner-table conversation or educational vacations.
For these students, solutions for the effects of poverty on education may be available only at school.
Increased funding will provide some solutions, including sufficient materials and appropriate
curriculum and supplies. However, more help is still necessary.
One of the ways experienced teachers can make a difference in the lives of students living in poverty
is by being prepared to lead. The LSU online graduate program in education prepares future leaders
to anticipate the needs of at-risk students. A master’s degree in educational leadership develops the
skills necessary to empower students from all backgrounds to succeed.

Social-Emotional Readiness
It is also important to consider how emotions relate to poverty and education. Students who live in
poverty-stricken families encounter many situations that can seriously affect them socially and
emotionally. Studies show that many of these students live in single-parent households. When only
one adult provides for a child’s needs, that parent suffers a great deal of stress; they struggle
financially, and they often get inadequate rest. Eric Jensen, writing for ASCD, says, “If caregivers are
stressed about health care, housing, and food, they’re more likely to be grumpy and less likely to
offer positive comments to their kids.”
The effects of negative and unstable environments manifest in children’s behavior at school. They
may act out in different ways. Some students are more aggressive and talk back to teachers using
inappropriate language. Other students disconnect themselves and become passive — they do not
respond to questions or requests.
Without stress relief, these students will struggle at school. Whether they act out or check out,
poverty will have an effect on their development. Students who believe that their station in life will
never change may go to little or no effort to succeed. The influence of an encouraging teacher can
offset this negative impact.

POVERTY AND READINESS FOR SCHOOL

School readiness reflects a child’s ability to succeed both academically and

socially in a school environment. It requires physical well-being and appropriate
motor development, emotional health and a positive approach to new experiences,
age-appropriate social knowledge and competence, age-appropriate language
skills, and age-appropriate general knowledge and cognitive skills (9). It is well
documented that poverty decreases a child’s readiness for school through aspects
of health, home life, schooling and neighbourhoods. Six poverty-related factors are
known to impact child development in general and school readiness in particular.
They are the incidence of poverty, the depth of poverty, the duration of poverty,
the timing of poverty (eg, age of child), community characteristics (eg,
concentration of poverty and crime in neighborhood, and school characteristics)
and the impact poverty has on the child’s social network (parents, relatives and
neighbors). A child’s home has a particularly strong impact on school readiness.
Children from low-income families often do not receive the stimulation and do not
learn the social skills required to prepare them for school. Typical problems are
parental inconsistency (with regard to daily routines and parenting), frequent
changes of primary caregivers, lack of supervision and poor role modelling. Very
often, the parents of these children also lack support.