BEP2 TASK 2

Task 2

BEP2

Sharmet Solarz Thomas

February 1, 2016

A Written Project Presented to the Faculty of the Teachers College

of Western Governors University

BEP2 TASK 2

Research Topic
The topic of research was the role of poverty in education.
Research Problem
Poverty has been a major determinant in the way of life. The gap between the wealthy and the
poor creates a difference in the mode of living between these two groups. People in different
social classes reside in different surroundings, feed differently and generally have entirely
dissimilar living habits. Consequently, though the children from these two social classes have
some uniting factors, social class classifies them as either poor or rich. A kid from a rich family
will attend a private school, have a better diet, and also have better access to information. Their
counterparts from the less wealthy families attend a public school where the mode of delivery of
the curriculum is very different. Since people segregate their selves according to their social
class, there are regions that have schools with better facilities. According to a report by Child
Fund International, poverty correlates with poor performance in school. The report showed that
the states in the south and west had the most school going children from poor families. The
counties with the highest poverty levels were Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. (The Effects of
Poverty on Education in the United States, 2015)
In the world today, education is considered as a basic need for all people. The government of the
United States has made it compulsory for every citizen to get formal education. This is to ensure
that the literacy level in the country is maintained. A country that has high literacy level shows
reduced poverty rates as the people are able to pursue entrepreneurship and also get employment
in institutions. However, the poverty in the families of these children forces some of the children

BEP2 TASK 2

to drop out of school before they even join high school. For most of those who continue with
education, the high rates of poverty and lack of basic human needs hinders them from
concentrating in their studies and therefore leads to poor performance in school.
According to a 2012 report by the National Centre for Education Statistics, about 21 percent of
school going children came from families that were living in poverty. (Children Living in
Poverty, 2014). This is an indication that a large number of school going children in the United
States do not have access to basic human needs. The schools that these students attend also
reflects the life they lead. In an interview by the PBS NewsHour, one teacher explained that she
has to ensure that the children have fed and that they are clean before learning. This is because
some of the children are from families that can barely afford one meal per day and proper
hygiene is not a priority. The teacher confessed that the children find it hard to focus on
academics due to the abject poverty that they live in. (LAYTON, 2015). This shows that poverty
levels continue to be a major threat to the future of the educational system in the United States.
Poverty affects all aspects in the education system. Since every part of learning is funded from
either public or private money, the amount of funding that a school receives determines the
number of teachers per class, the quality, amount and accessibility of learning materials, the level
of technology utilized in the system and even the curriculum used in the school. The fact that
children from poor families are expected to compete on the same level with their fellow students
from upper class schools poses a dilemma for the American government. The quality of
education also varies between these schools and therefore the students who enter into the job
market also differ in terms of skill and professionalism. This has been a major problem for both

BEP2 TASK 2

the job seekers and the employers. Most of the employers are forced to train the new employees
as they usually cannot perform as per their certificates and academic papers.
Though poverty cannot be blamed for all the problems facing the education sector, it influences a
lot of educational aspects and hence becomes a major factor. The aim of every government is to
improve the standards of living for every citizen in order to improve the overall status of the
country. To do this, the government must ensure that the citizens get basic human needs like
food, shelter, clothing, clean environments, infrastructure, good communication systems, quality
education and a stable legal and political system. The United States has achieved many of these
needs for its citizens. However, the quality of education remains a major factor that creates a
divide between the poor and the rich.
Poverty starts at the very basic components of an educational system. It affects the standards of
teaching, the teachers, and mode of instruction in the school, technology, special education,
public policy, diversity and inclusion among others. This research looks into some of these areas
and how poverty affects them the research also looks at how these problems may affect
education in the feature.
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this study is to determine the main underlying correlations between
poverty and school performance. While a wealth of information is available as to possible
correlations, we would like to determine whether the effect of poverty mainly occurs within the
school itself and/or because of a lack of a support system at home.
Research Questions

BEP2 TASK 2

1. How does poverty affect a students performance at school?

2. What are the roles of technology and language in relation to educating students of
lower socio-economic status?
Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that lower income students perform worse at school due to a lack of
funding in the schools themselves; additionally, lack of parental support from the schools
themselves prevents adequate educational support for students.

Justification of Research Approach

For each of these questions, I would utilize a mixed methods research approach. While
there are quantitative data points, such as overall test performance scores, household income
levels, and school funding reports, qualitative information from students, parents, and teachers
need to be researched as well. Personal accounts and studies of trends, especially regarding the
support for education in an impoverished students home life, are very important when studying
these questions.

BEP2 TASK 2

Poverty and Test Scores

Examinations, tests and assignments are a fundamental of any education system. These are given
to students after a certain learning duration in order to assess their comprehension of the subject.
Examinations can be a reliable way of judging the overall performance of a group, and the
effectiveness of a well rounded curriculum, assuming the test is given in a fair manner (Lauen.)
According to Klebanov and Brooks, the effect of poverty on test scores can be seen in children as
soon as ages 2-3. The relationship between poverty and test scores is based upon the fact that
children from lower socio-economic statuses experienced increased hardship and family
struggles. According to Tienken, poverty has a negative influence on achievement as a whole:
especially when standardized testing is used to measure this achievement. Achievement
differences between economically disadvantaged students and wealthy students ranged from
12-36 percentile points. These achievement differences continue into college preparation testing,
such as the SAT, resulting in a decreased interest for students of lower socio-economic status to
want to apply or attend college (Jenks.)

Poverty and Technology

Technology is an inevitable factor in all aspects of life. The world is always evolving and every
aspect of life is changing in order to adjust with the current situation. In education, technology
has brought with it both positive and negative implications (Wakefield, 2015).

BEP2 TASK 2

The underlying assumptions were that technology would come to aid the education stakeholders.
People believed that with technology in schools, teaching and learning would be cheaper and
faster. Education would be made more accessible by use of technology and this would raise the
number of people with access to education in the country (Savage, 11.)Research papers, journals
and institute websites are also some of the places where students, teachers and anyone seeking
for information can access it. This has made learning easier as students do not have to queue in
the library for long hours or make costly purchases.
According to Songer, the use of smart phones, personal computers and tablets, students can
browse the World Wide Web and use search engines such as Google to search for educational
articles. Research has also become easier as a wide variety of information can be accessed within
a short period of time. Technology has led to improved services in each sector including
selection of students, faster grading and better learning techniques. The benefits of technology
also poses an economic challenge to impoverished students. According Keegan, while schools
are underfunded, students are unable to purchase the necessary technological devices that might
assist in distance learning. Toyama states that the use of technology could possibly bridge the
divide between classes but has not because it is not a substitute for human interaction and
motivation. If used properly, the use of modern technology will go a long way in transforming
the current education system into a viable and result oriented system (Melamed).

Language and Poverty

According to Sheng, English language learners are the most rapidly growing student population
in the elementary and secondary schools in the United States. Kim states in a 2011 study that

BEP2 TASK 2

long term English language learners are 25% of the population in contrast to 15% of English
speakers who drop out. The role of poverty in this population is important to note: 66% of
English language learners are from low income families (Van Roekel.) Almost half of ELLs (48
percent) in grades PK5 have parents who did not finish high school (Capps et al., 2005).
Culturally sensitive teaching styles, such as incorporating a students native language in the
learning process greatly increases academic learning in these students(August & Shanahan,
2006.) According to Takanishi, support for students as early as pre-kindergarten is essential to the
future success of all students. Family literacy programs are promising strategies in providing
students, especially English language learners, the opportunity to be educated at their full
potential.

BEP2 TASK 2

REFERENCES

August, D., & Shanahan, T. (Eds.). (2006). Developing literacy in second language learners:
Report of the national literacy panel on language minority youth and children. Mahwah, NJ:
Erlbaum.
Capps, R., Fix, M., Murray, J., Ost, J., Passel, J., & Herwantoro, S. (2005). The new
demography of America's schools: Immigration and the No Child Left Behind Act. Washington,
DC: Urban Institute.
Jencks, C, M. Smith, H. Acland, et al. 1972. Inequality: A reassessment of the effect of family
and schooling in America. New York: Basic Books.
Keegan, D. (1995). Distance education technology for the new millennium: Compressed video
teaching.
Klebanov, P. K., Brooks-Gunn, J., McCarton, C., & McCormick, M. C.. (1998). The Contribution
of Neighborhood and Family Income to Developmental Test Scores over the First Three Years of
Life. Child Development, 69(5), 14201436. http://doi.org/10.2307/1132275
Kim, J. (2011). Relationships among and between ELL Status, Demographic Characteristics,
Enrollment History, and School Persistence. CRESST Report 810. National Center for Research
on Evaluation, Standards, and Student Testing (CRESST).
Lauen, D. L., & Gaddis, S. M.. (2013). Exposure to Classroom Poverty and Test Score
Achievement: Contextual Effects or Selection?. American Journal of Sociology, 118(4), 943
979. http://doi.org/10.1086/668408
Melamed, M. (2011, March 23). The Future of Education in America. The Berkeley Daily Planet.
Savage, E., & Sterry, L. (1990). A Conceptual Framework for Technology Education Part 2.
Technology Teacher, 50(2), 7-11.
Sheng, Z., Sheng, Y., & Anderson, C. J. (2011). Dropping out of School among ELL Students:
Implications to Schools and Teacher Education. Clearing House, 84(3), 98-103.
Songer, N. B., Lee, H. S., & Kam, R. (2002). Technology-rich inquiry science in urban
classrooms: What are the barriers to inquiry pedagogy?*. Journal of Research in Science
Teaching, 39(2), 128-150.
Takanishi, R.. (2004). Leveling the Playing Field: Supporting Immigrant Children from Birth to
Eight. The Future of Children, 14(2), 6179. http://doi.org/10.2307/1602794
Tienken, C. t. (2012). THE INFLUENCE OF POVERTY ON ACHIEVEMENT. Kappa Delta Pi
Record, 48(3), 105-107.
Toyama, K. (2010). Can technology end poverty. Boston Review, 36(5), 12-29.

BEP2 TASK 2
The Effects of Poverty on Education in the United States. (2015). Retrieved from Child Fund
International: https://www.childfund.org/poverty-and-education-in-the-US/

Van Roekel, Dennis. (2008). English language learners face unique challenges. An NEA Policy
Brief, Retrieved from http://www.weac.org/Libraries/PDF/ELL.sflb.ashx
Wakefield, J. (2015). technology in schools: future changes in schools. BBC.