A program such as this lends strong statistical support to the benefits of providing educational enhancements in non-school settings for at-risk youth (Schinke, Cole, & Poulin, 2000). Summer programs also are very effective, as is specialized tutoring. These enriching strategies have great positive effects on the achievement of low- achieving or at-risk students, especially in reading and mathematics.
Putting the Five Factors Into Action
These five core factors are the ingredients for success with kids from low socioeconomic backgrounds. But there's more: there's the context or framework for making it work at your school. You will need three additional factors to make this happen. First, everybody needs to be on board. All the staff have to be committed to making miracles happen. If you have some staff members who don't believe it can happen, they will undermine the efforts of others. Second, all the staff need to agree and collaborate on targeted assessments and interventions to make them happen. This is a simple illustration of staff working together. Finally, a core ingredient is patience. You will not turn around your school in a week, a month, or even a year in most cases. The brain changes, but not rapidly. Give it time.
SUMMARY
We've learned about areas in which low-income students have strong differences compared to their higher-income peers. What that means is that you'll see different behaviors in school. All of the factors that put low-income students at a disadvantage create stressors for the brain: poor nutrition, toxic exposure, frequent moving, lack of soothing relationships, and lack of hope. However, here's the most crucial information: the brain can and does change every day. Enrich these students' brains, regardless of IQ, brain health, income, or circumstances. The worse off kids are, the lower their socioeconomic status, the greater u the more potential change can happen. Enrich these kids, and change their brains for the better.
For many kids, the connections you form with them are more than that of an authority figure. They won't tell you this but you may be the "away from home" mother or father to more kids than you could imagine. I should know. I was one of those kids. Eric Jensen