Supporting Students Living Below the Poverty Line

Authors

H. Richard Milner IV, University of PittsburghFollow
Heather B. Cunningham, Chatham UniversityFollow
Ira E. Murray, University of PittsburghFollow
Adam Alvarez, University of PittsburghFollow

Abstract

In this article, we focus on interrelated mechanisms and practices that support students living below the poverty line. Addressing the needs of students living below the poverty line requires that educators consider both the inside- and outside-of-school realities of students and their families. Before discussing the recommendations, we define poverty and describe the complex ways it may shape student realities. We then discuss why we believe recommendations to support students must account for student realities outside of school. Finally, we outline recommendations for educators interested in becoming “poverty-responsive,” meaning that they discontinue practices that do not support students in poverty and replace them with practices responsive to student needs. We offer three recommendations: (a) promote reflection among educators as a means to identify and discard any deeply held beliefs that are not in support of students living in poverty, (b) develop partnerships between educators and communities that address key outside-of-school factors shaping the learning experience of students living in poverty, and (c) ensure that educators teach students skills in targeted areas that are likely to improve their academic success.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Milner, H. R., Cunningham, H. B., Murray, I. E., & Alvarez, A. (2017). Supporting students living below the poverty line. National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Journal, 2(2), 51-68. https://doi.org/10.20429/nyarj.2017.020204