Understanding Poverty
According to the University of Michigan’s National Poverty Center and the United States Federal Government, one child living in a single-family home is considered to be living in poverty if the parent is making under $15,000 a year, or $17,552 in a two-parent home.
In 2010 more than 16 million children were living at or below the poverty level in the United States. That’s almost a quarter of all children in the U.S!
Emotional Concerns
Students growing up in poverty often face many disadvantages physically, emotionally, and in many cases academically. It is not uncommon for families to live in transitional housing for example with different family members, different home rentals, vehicles, and even homeless shelters. This instability and uncertainty can have an ill effect on children's emotions, as they desperately seek to have a stable environment which is often found in classrooms. Some school districts go as far as busing homeless students to the same school no matter if they move because they recognize how children flourish in stable environments.
Physical Concerns
Hunger or malnutrition is also another common side affect of poverty. The lunch and/or breakfast offered at a child's school maybe the only meal(s) he or she receives each day. Cheaper meals that can be purchased and cheaper foods at the grocery store are often less nutritious. According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, healthy eating can potentially cost around $550/year (C. Polis, 2013). An unhealthy diet has the great potential to poorly affect student performance, and may lead to more student absences as they deal with the physical challenge of health issues that arise from a poor diet and malnutrition. "Research has also shown that children and adolescents whose diets are nutritious tend to perform better on various measures of cognitive performance and academic achievement" (Health Education Research, 2007)
Academic Concerns
As children from poverty enter into the world of academia, they may not be as equipped as their peers from more affluent homes and communities. As 21st century learners one of the most obvious gaps in their learning is in their use of technology. Having access to the internet or the use of computers and tablets allows students to become acclimated and fluent with their use. This is more likely to happen for scholars who are using electronic devices both at school and at home. For our children of poverty schools may introduce students to the use of these devices, however these schools may be equally ill-equipped as students of poverty often attend underfunded schools. "Because local governments draw on property taxes to provide their share of school funding, poor districts with a limited tax base don’t raise as much money as more affluent communities" (L. Layton, 2013).
So with these challenges facing our most vulnerable children, how might we as educators effectively nurture our students so that we tap into their full potential? How can we determine which of these students demonstrate gifted tendencies? Below are a list of resources and articles to provide educators with some guidance.
Resources to Identify Gifted Students of Poverty
Gifted Students from Poverty - Vanderbilt Programs For Talented Youth
Resources for Testing and Identifying Gifted Children - Vanderbilt Programs for Gifted Youth
Resources for Nontraditional Testing - Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth
Strategies for Identifying Gifted Students of Poverty "Identifying Gifted, Talented, or High Ability Students from Low-Income Families" Peters and Gentry
National Association for Gifted Children Journal Article: "Identifying and Nurturing the Gifted Poor"
Assess for /Be Cognizant of Nontraditional Gifts (creativity,strong problem solving skills, persistence in adverse situations, resilience)
Early Identification
According to the University of Michigan’s National Poverty Center and the United States Federal Government, one child living in a single-family home is considered to be living in poverty if the parent is making under $15,000 a year, or $17,552 in a two-parent home.
In 2010 more than 16 million children were living at or below the poverty level in the United States. That’s almost a quarter of all children in the U.S!
Emotional Concerns
Students growing up in poverty often face many disadvantages physically, emotionally, and in many cases academically. It is not uncommon for families to live in transitional housing for example with different family members, different home rentals, vehicles, and even homeless shelters. This instability and uncertainty can have an ill effect on children's emotions, as they desperately seek to have a stable environment which is often found in classrooms. Some school districts go as far as busing homeless students to the same school no matter if they move because they recognize how children flourish in stable environments.
Physical Concerns
Hunger or malnutrition is also another common side affect of poverty. The lunch and/or breakfast offered at a child's school maybe the only meal(s) he or she receives each day. Cheaper meals that can be purchased and cheaper foods at the grocery store are often less nutritious. According to a recent article in the Huffington Post, healthy eating can potentially cost around $550/year (C. Polis, 2013). An unhealthy diet has the great potential to poorly affect student performance, and may lead to more student absences as they deal with the physical challenge of health issues that arise from a poor diet and malnutrition. "Research has also shown that children and adolescents whose diets are nutritious tend to perform better on various measures of cognitive performance and academic achievement" (Health Education Research, 2007)
Academic Concerns
As children from poverty enter into the world of academia, they may not be as equipped as their peers from more affluent homes and communities. As 21st century learners one of the most obvious gaps in their learning is in their use of technology. Having access to the internet or the use of computers and tablets allows students to become acclimated and fluent with their use. This is more likely to happen for scholars who are using electronic devices both at school and at home. For our children of poverty schools may introduce students to the use of these devices, however these schools may be equally ill-equipped as students of poverty often attend underfunded schools. "Because local governments draw on property taxes to provide their share of school funding, poor districts with a limited tax base don’t raise as much money as more affluent communities" (L. Layton, 2013).
So with these challenges facing our most vulnerable children, how might we as educators effectively nurture our students so that we tap into their full potential? How can we determine which of these students demonstrate gifted tendencies? Below are a list of resources and articles to provide educators with some guidance.
Resources to Identify Gifted Students of Poverty
Gifted Students from Poverty - Vanderbilt Programs For Talented Youth
Resources for Testing and Identifying Gifted Children - Vanderbilt Programs for Gifted Youth
Resources for Nontraditional Testing - Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth
Strategies for Identifying Gifted Students of Poverty "Identifying Gifted, Talented, or High Ability Students from Low-Income Families" Peters and Gentry
National Association for Gifted Children Journal Article: "Identifying and Nurturing the Gifted Poor"
Assess for /Be Cognizant of Nontraditional Gifts (creativity,strong problem solving skills, persistence in adverse situations, resilience)
Early Identification