<p>When you try to blame a problem on one particular factor it is often a way of validating yourself as free from blame. A talisman against disaster. Problems are usually more complex than a single factor on which we can pin the blame. Every child is different and has different things that they struggle with. Most parents, single or double, gay or straight, poor or wealthy are doing the best they can. It might not always be enough but its the best they can do.</p>
<p>"It might not always be enough but its the best they can do. "</p>
<p>Perhaps their best is lousy.</p>
<p>Yes. Perhaps their best is lousy. My point is that there is not a lot to be gained by blaming, except , perhaps to be able to pat oneself on the back for the perfect job that you are doing.</p>
<p>The causes of poverty are numerous and sometimes complicated and, no poverty does not cause divorce nor does divorce always cause poverty. But there is a correlation between the two. There are more single family homes living in poverty than two parent households. So if poverty is the number one factor in failure in school, you are going to see a high number of single parent households with children who struggle in school. That doesn’t mean that single parent families causes children to struggle in school.</p>
<p>That was a tongue twister. Say it three times fast.</p>
<p>“So if poverty is the number one factor in failure in school,”</p>
<p>No. 1? did you just make that up?</p>
<p>No I didn’t make it up. It’s based on research that is well documented.</p>
<p>From the American Psychological Association:</p>
<p>Poverty and academic achievement
Poverty has a particularly adverse effect on the academic outcomes of children, especially during early childhood.Chronic stress associated with living in poverty has been shown to adversely affect childrens concentration and memory which may impact their ability to learn.School drop out rates are significantly higher for teens residing in poorer communities. In 2007, the dropout rate of students living in low-income families was about 10 times greater than the rate of their peers from high-income families (8.8% vs. 0.9%).The academic achievement gap for poorer youth is particularly pronounced for low-income African American and Hispanic children compared with their more affluent White peers.Underresourced schools in poorer communities struggle to meet the learning needs of their students and aid them in fulfilling their potential.Inadequate education contributes to the cycle of poverty by making it more difficult for low-income children to lift themselves and future generations out of poverty.</p>
<p>Poverty and psychosocial outcomes
Children living in poverty are at greater risk of behavioral and emotional problems.Some behavioral problems may include impulsiveness, difficulty getting along with peers, aggression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and conduct disorder.Some emotional problems may include feelings of anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem.Poverty and economic hardship is particularly difficult for parents who may experience chronic stress, depression, marital distress and exhibit harsher parenting behaviors. These are all linked to poor social and emotional outcomes for children.Unsafe neighborhoods may expose low-income children to violence which can cause a number of psychosocial difficulties. Violence exposure can also predict future violent behavior in youth which places them at greater risk of injury and mortality and entry into the juvenile justice system.</p>
<p>Here is a link: [Effects</a> of Poverty, Hunger, and Homelessness on Children and Youth](<a href=“http://www.apa.org/pi/families/poverty.aspx]Effects”>Effects of poverty, hunger and homelessness on children and youth)</p>
<p>Do you understand the difference between major factor and no. 1 factor?</p>
<p>Do you understand the difference between major factor and no. 1 factor?</p>
<p>I do I do!
;)</p>
<p>For example- two families- one lives in a very rural community- grows their own food- barters for health care, trades clothes with the neighbors.
Don’t have two cents to rub together, but they are healthy- well fed and their kids are doing ok in school.</p>
<p>Another family- urban subsidized housing- thin walls so noisy that you couldn’t hear yourself think- not conducive to study. High fat, processed type meals provided by the school & since federal subsidizes make it cheaper to buy fast food when you don’ t have a way to the grocery, the family eats junk more than they think.
Also attending school side by side with people from middle class homes, kids also may be much more sensitive to material goods they lack- it can be difficult for some families to see education as a way out.</p>
<p>Both families are poor- but one is suffering more than the other.</p>
<p>Merry Xmas Karen.</p>