Schools often receive blame for their students’ poor academic performance even though the teachers and principals work to provide strong curricula, high expectations, and safe climates. However, there are factors other than those that can easily be controlled by the schools that can affect school performance more than what the teachers and principals do.
Out-of-School Factors
Out-of-school factors (OSFs) must also be addressed in schools with large numbers of poor students. The school community and the general public acknowledge that poverty makes teaching and learning difficult for children who hurt physically or mentally, those who are hungry, lack proper clothing, or live in unsafe environments.
Teachers may be aware that children find it much harder, if not impossible, to learn or even care about getting an education or to hope that learning holds any reward for them. These factors must be addressed, but schools cannot be expected to remedy the problems caused by poverty without assistance from the public outside of the school.
In his March, 2009 article, “Poverty and Potential: Out of School Factors and School Success,” David C. Berliner listed seven factors that are not related to school practices, but affect school performance in a negative way:
- low birth weight and non-genetic prenatal influences on children
- inadequate medical, dental, and vision care, often a result of little or no medical insurance
- food insecurity
- environmental pollutants
- family relations and family stress
- neighborhood characteristics
Berliner suggests that after-school programs, summer programs, and other enrichment programs that may not be available for children living in poverty, but could off set some of the ill effects of poverty, could be considered a seventh OSF.
Efforts to Increase Academic Performance
All of these out-of-school factors must be addressed if high poverty schools expect to increase academic performance in those schools. In addition, Berliner recommends that efforts be made to:
- reduce drug and alcohol abuse
- remove people from toxic environments
- reduce absenteeism
- reduce violence in families
- provide morning, afternoon, and summer programs to make up learning gaps
School and Community Share Responsibility for Achievement
Longitudinal studies done in the U.S. on poor students have clearly shown that although schools play a crucial role in educating students who live in poverty, responsibility for poor academic performance should not be placed solely on them. Communities and families must also provide support for disadvantaged students.
Reducing Effects of Poverty on Learning
In its efforts to increase achievement the school should focus on a strong curriculum, identifying and providing for individual student needs, communication with parents, and providing a climate where children feel safe.
Some of the goals that community organizations and families might adopt are:
- reduce drug and alcohol abuse and violence
- provide safe home environments
- provide health care for all children
- increase time away from TV
- encourage reading
- eliminate hunger
- encourage children to attend school
Schools should no longer be evaluated by their test scores alone. The responsibility for caring for children lies with the whole community; schools, families, and community organizations. Out-of-school as well as in-school factors must be addressed.
DeLene Sholes - DeLene Sholes is a former teacher, principal, and curriculum coordinator who writes from her home in Grayton Beach, Florida.
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