TEACHING+KIDS+IN+POVERTY

**POVERTY: An increasing reality**
 * __What We Know__ **
 * Poverty rates are higher for rural kids than for urban kids (and the gap has increased in recent years)
 * Rural children are more likely to live in extreme poverty than urban children (familty of 4 under $11,000/year)
 * Spells of poverty tend to last longer for rural children than urban children.
 * The forgotten children: Most programs and policies targetd for the poor are focused in urban areas.

- William P. O'Hare, //The Forgotten Fifth: Child Poverty in Rural America// (2009)

//- Population Reference Bureau, by William P. O'Hare, 2011//
 * Rural Child Poverty in the U.S. States, 2007**
 * Changes in State Child Poverty Rates, 2007-2009**



//- National Conference of State Legislatures, 2009//

**2011 State Breakdown of Children in Poverty**: //Kansas = 19% as compared to 15% in 2007//



Children in Poverty Data by State
 * United States Statistics: Kids Count Data by State - Annie E. Casey Foundation **

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 * Kansas Statistics: Kids Count Data available by county **
 * What Do You Know About Poverty: Take the Quiz **

(from CBS 60 Minutes segment)
 * //Hard Times Generation: Homeless Kids// **

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__ **Teaching Kids in Poverty** __ **Ruby Payne** ** __Quiz__: Could you survive living in the middle class? poverty? wealth? ** []

** __Poverty Bingo__: Try this game via email with your staff to keep them focused on the key elements of students in poverty! **




__**Today's Reality:**__ The current economic downturn has forced many employers to cut jobs which sends previously employed people to the ranks of the unemployed and the subsequent financial burdens that follow. Situational poverty is a growing problem that affects many schools today and provides new challenges for school officials that are somewhat different than the generational poverty that is typically associated with children in poverty. The following article discusses the needs of students and families experiencing situational poverty and what schools can do to help them cope with this new dilemma. __**Poverty has a big impact on thinking (cognition) and learning**.__ Lack of resources, experiences, language gaps, and weak or non-existent support systems contribute to students struggling academic achievement. Students are not taught the "tools" that help them problem solve, control impulsivity, or persevere. Read below to see what these effects are and what must be done to counteract their impact. **Eric Jensen ** Eric Jensen has analyzed a great deal of research that supports the idea that the brain is affected by poverty which in turn affects decision making, learning, motivation, behavior and ultimately achievement. He also believes that the brain can be changed and trained if teachers use effective brain-based strategies. The following article provides ideas and strategies for improving academic achievment through brain based learning.

**Doug Reeves ** The 90-90-90 Project involved a school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with 90% poverty, 90% ethnic or minority population, and 90% meets academic standards. This school had all the reasons and situations that would make it a failing school, and yet the students in this school demonstrated high achievement because of the strategies and practices that were implemented in the building. Doug Reeves writes about the characteristics and practices that made this school work that can be applied in any school or any size.



**FINANCIAL LITERACY: **Teaching ALL kids how to use money responsibly and effectively in the real world.

This video demonstrates the importance of helping all students improve their enduring understandings of personal finance from an early age.

Kids in poverty are often lacking in financial understanding due to their own limited experiences. Schools can provide the knowledge and skills to improve students' personal financial understanding which can be a significant step towards emerging from the grip of poverty. media type="custom" key="20509978"