Poverty Is Not a Learning Disability

by Howard, Tish; Dresser, Sandy Grogan; Dunklee, Dennis R.

• ISBN13: 9781412969031
• ISBN10: 1412969034
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-07-30
• Publisher: Corwin Pr

Summary

This book is designed to improve the education of elementary school children with low school-readiness skills (low SES children) by preventing their misidentification as learning disabled. It is built on the premise that the time and money spent on special education services will be better used if educators focus on the needs of children with low school readiness skills before their deficits become so great that neither intervention nor remediation will work, and before the children's self perceptions are so badly damaged that they quit trying to succeed and accept failure. Poverty Is NOT a Learning Disability challenges educators and parents to consider how low expectations-a 'œdeficit perception'-can affect a child's achievement and stresses optimism as a central tenet of elementary schools' day-to-day teaching/learning programs and school-community relationships. The authors emphasize that an attitude of optimism is strongly connected to hope for the future and crucial to providing children with a positive vision of what they can accomplish. This resource also covers how to build trusting relationships throughout the school community, among teachers, administrators, the school staff, and parents. Children inevitably endeavor to fit the words, actions, and deeds of those around them into narratives of their own. The authors convey how vitally important it is for members of the education community to work together to ensure that youngsters receive a view of the future that inspires hope and validates the potential of each child.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
Acknowledgments	p. xi
About the Authors	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
The Changing realities of America's Public Education: Foundational Facts and Implications	p. 5
Diversity	p. 5
Poverty	p. 6
School Readiness	p. 7
Lack of Parent Involvement	p. 9
Deficit Perceptions	p. 10
Special Education and NCLB	p. 11
Summary	p. 14
The Unfortunate Link Between Low Socioeconomic Status and Learning Disabilities	p. 15
Understanding Learning Disabilities	p. 16
Poverty Is Not a Learning Disability	p. 19
Educators' Lack of Understanding of Poverty	p. 21
Teachers' Role in Learning Disability Referrals	p. 21
The Cost of Misidentifying Children as Learning Disabled	p. 25
Summary	p. 27
Teaching Strategies and Techniques Proven to Work With Low SES Children	p. 29
Four Teaching Strategies That Work	p. 33
Building Positive Relationships With Students and Their Families	p. 33
Conducting Formative and Summative Assessments	p. 35
Integrating Learning Experiences	p. 37
Linking What Is Known to What Is Unknown	p. 38
Promoting Discovery Learning	p. 40
Integrating Instruction	p. 41
Creating a Positive Climate for Instruction	p. 43
Creating a User-Friendly Classroom	p. 43
Creating a Democratic Learning Environment	p. 45
Providing Positive Feedback Early and Often	p. 47
Providing Verbal and Nonverbal Cues	p. 47
Structuring Time Effectively	p. 49
Cultural and Academic Flexibility	p. 50
Employing a Sense of Humor	p. 52
Celebrating Students' Successes	p. 53
Summary	p. 54
The Importance of Strong School-Home Relationships in Educating Low SES Children	p. 55
The Importance of Parent Involvement	p. 56
The Importance of Home-Based Involvement	p. 57
The Importance of School Climate	p. 58
Setting the Right Example	p. 59
Making the Parent-Friendly Climate Pervasive	p. 61
Meeting the Challenges presented by Low SES Neighborhoods	p. 62
Overcoming Time and Transportation Challenges	p. 63
Overcoming the Lack of Education Resources in Low SES Homes	p. 64
Dealing Effectively With Language Limitations	p. 66
Developing Effective Lines of Communication	p. 66
Embracing Cultural Diversity	p. 69
Summary	p. 70
How Strong School-Business Relationships Can Benefit Low SES Students	p. 71
Creating a Partnership With Structure and Reciprocity	p. 72
The Principal's Role	p. 72
The Role of the Business Partnership Coordinator	p. 73
Looking Beyond Dollars in School-Business Partnerships	p. 74
Recognizing the Partnership Value of Small Local Businesses	p. 75
Summary	p. 77
The Role Networking Can Play in the Effective Education of Low SES Students	p. 79
Networking With Central Offices	p. 80
Networking Beyond the School District	p. 81
Expanding the Reach of Your Network	p. 81
Networking to Develop New Sources of Talent	p. 83
Summary	p. 84
Managing Change Successfully	p. 85
Why People Resist Change	p. 86
Strategies to Reduce Resistance to Change and Promote Successful Implementations	p. 87
Planning	p. 87
Articulating Your Vision	p. 87
Developing the Master Plan	p. 88
Communication	p. 89
Participation	p. 90
Leadership	p. 91
Summary	p. 92
Selecting the Right People	p. 93
Identifying the Characteristics and Qualifications You're Looking For	p. 94
Assessing Your Faculty and Staff's Strengths and Weaknesses to Clarify Your Needs	p. 95
Communicating Your Needs and Interests to Human Resources	p. 95
Structuring the Interview process	p. 96
Managing the Interview and Selection Process	p. 97
Put Your Best Foot Forward	p. 98
Play by the Rules	p. 98
Need a Second Opinion?	p. 99
Don't Let a Good Candidate Get Away	p. 100
Recruit Talent	p. 100
Summary	p. 101
Identifying the core and Individual Competencies That Promote the Most Successful Learning Environment	p. 103
What We Mean by Competencies	p. 103
Individual Competencies	p. 104
Organizational or Core Competencies	p. 105
Identifying Core School and Individual Competencies That Promote Student Success	p. 107
Identifying your School's Core Competency	p. 107
Identifying the Individual Competencies That Promote Success in Your School	p. 109
Summary	p. 112
Identifying Expectations and Managing Performance	p. 113
Some Basic Assumptions	p. 114
Communicating Your Expectations	p. 114
Communicating Group Expectations	p. 117
Communicating Individual Expectations	p. 117
Setting Reasonable Expectations	p. 118
Managing Performance Around Your Expectations	p. 118
What If You're Wrong?	p. 119
Providing Constructive Feedback	p. 119
Summary	p. 121
A Proven Approach to Improving Educational Opportunities for Low SES Children	p. 123
Professional Climate	p. 124
Behavioral Climate	p. 126
Community Climate	p. 128
Instructional Practices	p. 128
Summary	p. 130
Summary and Conclusions	p. 131
Being the Leader in Your School	p. 132
Making the Most of an "Ambiguous" Situation	p. 133
References	p. 135
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