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Advocating for Economically Disadvantaged Students

Lacey Kenward

Department of Education, SUNY Cortland

EDU 340: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners

Professor Christine Uliassi

April 14, 2023

I. Introduction

Some people may think that teachers only assign homework and teach lessons, but those

who think this are missing a key piece of what it means to be an educator. Being an educator

means advocating for our children, listening to their needs, and putting the health and safety of

our students first. Often times the issues that children are faced with are overlooked and ignored.

True advocacy means understanding issues we ourselves may not have faced, showing empathy,

listening to students, presenting solutions, and using our voices to spark change. According to

United Way NCA (2023), currently, over 11 million children live below the poverty line. These

children struggle and are faced with hardship over something that is out of their control. Children

living in poverty have higher rates of absenteeism, dropouts, and larger achievement gaps. These

children are also more likely to have learning delays or learning disabilities than their peers that

are not economically disadvantaged (United Way NCA, 2023).

Living in poverty affects students’ academics and also their quality of life. Children that

live in poverty deserve to have advocates that are willing to push boundaries in order to create

change. As educators, we must use our voices on behalf of those that often cannot be heard. Not

only should we advocate for those in our classroom and district, but we should also advocate for

those across the country. We owe it to our students to support them in any way possible.

II. Issues

Food insecurity is major obstacle that children in poverty face. Not having access to enough

food or proper nutrition can be detrimental to children. According to Feeding America (2018) in

2016, 13 million children, or 1/6, were food insecure in the United States. “Inadequate nutrition

can permanently alter children’s brain architecture and stunt their intellectual capacity, affecting

children’s learning, social interaction and productivity” (Feeding America, 2018). Children
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cannot be academically successful if they lack access to proper nutrition. Food insecurity is

linked to health problems, low test scores, and behavioral problems. It is imperative to meet

children’s physical needs in order for them to improve academically.

Mental health is a major concern for children that grow up economically disadvantaged.

These children often experience increased persistence and severity of mental health problems.

Not only do they occur in childhood, but can have long-lasting lifetime effects. “For children, the

amount of time spent in poverty predicts externalizing symptoms of mental health problems in

adulthood, including conduct problems, aggressive behavior, and hyperactivity” (Mumbauer-

Pisano & Barden, 2020). These children are also less likely to receive care, compared to their

economically advantaged peers. Economically disadvantaged students often lack access to

mental health care and treatments due to barriers such as limited/insufficient availability of

mental health resources in their communities, lack of transportation, and affordability of

services. These students may be faced with bullying due to limited resources for new clothing,

school supplies, and a lack of access to personal hygiene products.

Children that grow up in poverty often grow up surrounded by family violence, abuse,

and neglect. Paxson & Waldfogel (2000) states that there is an increase in maltreatment among

children who live in poverty. States that see welfare cuts also see increased child neglect.

“Children with working mothers and absent fathers are more likely to be subject to neglect and

abuse. So are children with two non-working parents or parents whose income is below 75

percent of the official poverty level” (Paxson & Waldfogel, 2000). Neglect and violence in their

household leads to poor mental health, as well as behavioral issues. When growing up in this

environment, students cannot prioritize their education if they lack a sense of safety at home.
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Students that come from economically disadvantaged communities face major

achievement gaps. There is clear evidence that poverty has a dramatic effect on academic

performance and education completion. As of 2019, economically disadvantaged (ED) students

had a high school graduation rate of 79%, whereas non-economically disadvantaged (non-ED)

students had a graduation rate of 94% (New England Secondary School Consortium, 2020).

Non-ED students had a dropout rate of 2%, whereas ED students had a rate of 11% (New

England Secondary School Consortium, 2020).

III. Advocacy

Educators have to opportunity to make significant changes within our society. In order

for students to become academically successful, their needs must be met first. Children cannot

prosper when faced with uncertainty and hardship, such as where their next meal will come from

or lack of transportation. Before we focus on academics, we must ensure that our students feel

seen and heard, and we work towards providing more stable environments to experience their

childhood. No child should suffer from what is out of their control. As educators, we must speak

on their behalf and do the best of our ability to meet their needs.

One way educators can assist in their own classrooms is by providing snacks, hygiene

products, school materials, and clothing. Although teachers have limited funding, they can

advocate for their students by asking their friends, family, and members of the community for

donations for students in their class. Donations for classrooms can assist in purchasing snacks,

personal hygiene products, and school supplies needed for children to succeed in class. Thrift

stores are a great resource for inexpensive clothing. If students do not have proper clothing that

keeps them warm or if their clothing is very used, thrifting clothing to keep a stockpile in the

classroom is a great way to provide for students that need assistance for a low cost.
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More ways teachers can advocate for the children in their own community is by pushing

for before and after-school programs, as well as more transportation in their district. The cost of

childcare is not feasible for those faced with financial hardship. Instead of children going home

after school and being left unattended, schools can organize programs for no cost to ensure that

children are supervised in a safe environment. These programs can provide homework

assistance, tutors, and counseling services to help battle the achievement gap. Transportation for

these programs should be provided to help lessen the strain on families.

Advocating at the state and national level may include the implementation of mentoring

groups. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America aims to help all children reach their full potential

through one-on-one mentoring. Their mission is to “Put Youth First; Advance Diversity, Equity

& Inclusion; Operate with Integrity; Engage with Empathy; and Invest in Learning &

Innovation” (Big Brothers Big Sisters). BBBS is a non-profit organization with 279 affiliates

across the country and has served more than 2 million children in the last 10 years. There are

even locations relatively near Cortland such as Ithaca, Syracuse, Norwich, Utica, and Endicott.

For their NYC headquarters, their community-based mentoring serves children from ages 7-17.

These children are paired with an adult mentor, in which they spend 8 hours a month building

relationships and working towards their “S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable,

Realistic, and Time-bound) goals” (Big Brothers Big Sisters). They also offer workplace

mentoring which introduces students to the world of business by connecting them to companies

and corporations, and college and career success by assisting with college workshops, career

exploration and financial aid support. This program has been very successful in NYC, as they

have stated that 100% of high school seniors in their program graduated in 2021 and 97% of

younger students were promoted to the next grade (Big Brothers Big Sisters).
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An example of national advocacy for underserved students is “The Healthy, Hunger-Free

Kids Act of 2010”. This act provided federal funding for school meals and child nutrition

programs. The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act requires schools to offer more fruit, vegetables,

and whole grains, while limiting sodium, calories, and unhealthy fats. “The largest improvement

in diet quality was seen in foods consumed in school settings, with the proportion of children

consuming poor diet quality more than halved, from 55.6% to 24.4%. The improvement was

primarily seen after 2010…” (Na, 2021). The HHFKA has set specific requirements for

implementation, evaluation, and reporting to ensure that the standards of nutrition in schools are

met. With the help of the HHFKA, low-income children have more access to healthy, nutritious

food.

IV. Conclusion

All students deserve the opportunity to prosper in school. This is unable to happen if they

have other concerns and obstacles in their lives. Children that live in poverty often struggle with

academics, mental health, food insecurity, family abuse and neglect, and overall quality of life.

As educators, we must make every effort to advocate for those we serve. We may not single

handedly be able to change their situation, but there are ways to help alleviate their struggle.

Children should feel a sense of security when they are in our classrooms, and this cannot happen

if their needs are not met and ignored. There are ways to come together and build support for

these students, both locally and nationally. If we do not use our voices to advocate for our

children, we disservice our youth and future generations.

Resources

2020 Common Data Project Excerpt Economically Disadvantaged Students. New England
Secondary School Consortium. (2020). Retrieved April 1, 2023, from
https://www.greatschoolspartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/ED-students-
report.pdf

Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City. Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City |
BBBSNYC. (n.d.). Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.bigsnyc.org/

Child poverty in America - facts, statistics. United Way NCA. (2023, March 22). Retrieved April
1, 2023, from https://unitedwaynca.org/blog/child-poverty-in-
america/#:~:text=Childhood%20poverty%20is%20a%20tragic,below%20the%20federal%
20poverty%20line.

Feeding America. (2018). 2018 Child Food Insecurity. Map the Meal Gap. Retrieved March 10,
2023, from https://www.feedingamerica.org/sites/default/files/research/map-the-meal-
gap/2016/2016-map-the-meal-gap-child-food-insecurity.pdf

Mumbauer-Pisano, J., & Barden, S. M. (2020). Examining a Mental Health Literacy Intervention
Among Economically Disadvantaged Youth. Journal of Mental Health Counseling,
42(4), 339–355. https://doi-org.libproxy.cortland.edu/10.17744/mehc.42.4.04

Na, M. (2021, April 12). Disparities in diet quality in school-age children-opportunities and
challenges. JAMA network open. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33844004/

Paxson, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2000, January). Poverty and Mistreatment of Children go Hand in
Hand. NBER. Retrieved April 1, 2023, from https://www.nber.org/digest/jan00/poverty-
and-mistreatment-children-go-hand-hand