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The Effects of Poverty on Teaching and Learning

The Concept of Being At-Risk

The term at-risk refers to children who are likely to fail in school or in life because of their life’s social circumstances.  It does not appear that any one single factor places a child at-risk.  Rather, when more than one factor is present, there is a compounding effect and the likelihood for failure increases significantly.  Poverty is considered a major at-risk factor (Leroy & Symes, 2001). Some of the factors related to poverty that may place a child at-risk for academic failure are: very young, single or low educational level parents; unemployment; abuse and neglect; substance abuse; dangerous neighborhoods; homelessness; mobility; and exposure to inadequate or inappropriate educational experiences.

Being able to identify and understand children who are at-risk is critical if we are to support their growth and development.   In order to do this, warm and caring relationships need to be developed between teachers and children.  This will enable teachers to detect any warning signs that may place children at-risk for failure, interfering with their chances for success in school and life (Leroy & Symes, 2001).  Academic and behavioral problems can be indicators of impending failure.  Among such behaviors are: delay in language development, delay in reading development, aggression, violence, social withdrawal, substance abuse, irregular attendance, and depression.  Teachers may have difficulty reaching a student’s parent or guardian. They may also find the student does not complete assignments, does not study for tests, or does not come to school prepared to learn because of poverty related circumstances in the home environment.   These children may be unable to concentrate or focus. They may be unwilling or unable to interact with peers and/or adults in school in an effective manner. These issues not only have an impact on the learning of the child of poverty but can also impact the learning of other children.

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