Transforming class-consciousness in America
Jun 19th, 2007 by Donna Magee
Paul Tough’s article “The Class-Consciousness Raiser” in the June 10, 2007 issue of The New York Times Magazine has drawn a lot of attention to aha! Process and the work that we do to transform class-consciousness in America and worldwide. I’d like to take an opportunity to share some of what I feel are the high points of the dialogue, examples in which people are thinking deeply and carefully about the issues at hand.
Suzanne Morse touches briefly on the merits of Ruby Payne’s work and The New York Times Magazine’s coverage thereof. She also points out that the work has a few detractors but is not herself swayed, saying Ruby’s work does a lot to give teachers new vocabulary with which to discuss poverty.
Matt Johnston writes in his blog Going to the Mat about the practical application of aha! concepts versus academia’s uneasiness with the theoretical implications. It is quite interesting to read someone who has never before encountered Ruby’s work sort through the two sides of the debate.
Sally Greene, a professor in the University of North Carolina Law School, writes in her blog GreeneSpace about the theory versus practice debate as well. She mentions a formerly homeless educator she wrote about elsewhere in her blog for whom aha!’s work and message were very important.
The discussion continues on the blog Re:Maines: Postcards from the Religious Left, where the author writes about a conversation involving the Times Magazine article she had with her husband over dinner. She says, “Perhaps some discomfort with Payne’s approach also stems from the fact that as a nation we like to think the lines of class are nonexistent, or at least blurred. Defining class with such specificity denies that.”
Joanne Jacobs’ blog features “free linking and thinking on education,” and her piece about Ruby Payne has drawn 15 responses (at the time of this writing) since June 10, when it was posted.
Nancy Flanagan, a 30-year teaching veteran from
Be a part of the discussion with us. We welcome your thoughts on the subject.
Donna S. Magee, Ed.D. Vice-President, Research & Development
It’s easy to call Payne’s work “classist” or “racist” or “stereotypical.” It’s easy to say we have to change the deeper causes of poverty rather than focus on changing students’ attitudes and skills. But how does saying those things help anyone get out of poverty? Do we need more funding for social programs that teach people how to avoid having kids before they can support them? Yes. Do we need more funding for social programs that teach people how to avoid child abuse and other violence? Yes. What I’m more concerned with is how I can help the kids in my classroom. Payne offers me some concrete approaches I can take in my classroom.
If you want to see someone rip Ruby Payne without offering any suggestions for how to help kids overcome their issues, read this essay by Paul Gorski:
http://www.edchange.org/publications/Savage_Unrealities_abridged.pdf
In this essay, he writes, “For those of us in the middle or upper classes,
Payne protects our privilege and gives us permission to do the same. And so the cycle stays in motion.” What I see in Payne’s book “A Framework for Understanding Poverty,” is an outline for how to be successful and climb out of poverty, one person at a time. Gorski seems to think we can get everyone out at once without addressing what skills are necessary to climb out of poverty. I don’t believe being middle class is bad. My parents have worked their tails off with physical labor to stay in lower middle class. Their examples have taught me to do the same.
Gorski, in another of his articles (“The Myth of the ‘Culture of Poverty’”), says there is no such thing as a “culture of poverty.” OK. People in poverty do differ. But can we deny that people who live in poverty share many characteristics that keep them in poverty? I don’t know how anyone can. I also don’t know how anyone could argue that we shouldn’t identify and try to help kids overcome issues like poor organizational skills, disrespect for authority, physical violence, and poor goal-setting skills. These are things that I, as a teacher, can help kids with. If I don’t, I’m not doing my job. I think Gorski should worry less about labeling and more about helping kids.
I believe that Ruby Paynes book, “A Framework for Understanding Poverty” should be read to increase AWARENESS about students who come from poverty. I do not not believe that it was her attention to stereotype people, I believe that this happens automatically when you start to generalize different groups of people. The AWARENESS that she wanted to provide was that many (not all) students from homes of poverty have different values as well as struggles that they deal with than the majority of middle class students do. I think we as educators need to be aware of the issues that are very relavant to those students. The issues that they face every day that significantly impact their academic performance. I have worked for over 10 years with children and students with developmental disabilities. I have worked with infants in thier homes as well as in the school district. I beilieve that poverty is a cycle. I have seen first hand how poverty issues significanlty impact children. I found the following points very important to remember when evaluting a students academic achievement.
Families do not have good health care or healthy living conditions therefore missing more school because of illness.
Many families are living in conditions below par – children tend to not have individual bedrooms, let alone a bed to sleep in. They will sleep on a couch or on the floor, after all of the adults have went to bed. This factor leads to sleep deprivation. Kids can’t stay awake during school to process teacher instructions nor complete assignments.
They lack organization – displayed in a messy desk or backpack or the ability to keep homework assignments organized.
They have additional stresses – (I acknowledge we all have stress – but some of these kids have a high amount of stress). Maybe mom or dad is in jail. Older siblings bring home their friends who are abusing drugs/alcohol. They dont have a consistent home – they move a lot.
Transportation is another factor that impacts them. They may not have a car or money to buy gas, therefore not being able to make it to conferences or open houses.
Financial stresses (again, we all have financial stress) – it is back to school shopping time. Think about all of the factors that figure in to getting your own children’s supplies. You need a car, gas money, the school supply list that you can read and organize several kids’ needs (I obtained my kids’ list off of the computer), money to buy the supplies.
This being said – these are generalizations and this may occur in some homes, not ALL homes, but we HAVE TO BE AWARE that there are students out there and they experience these things.
I think Ruby Payne wrote this book for us to increase our AWARENESS of the issues that students who come from poverty may face and how those issues significantly impact academic performance.
Ruby Payne’s thoughts on the poor have been interesting to me. As a teacher serving many poor families in a mixed class area, I find some of her ideas to be very insightful and helpful to me, however I do not agree with all that she states. Never having experienced generational poverty, I do not feel equiped to understand the struggles, values, and beleifs of those living in these situations, just as I do not expect them to understand my life. I think the concept of understanding the “hidden rules of poverty” is one that allows us all to take a closer look into the class we identify with and see the ways that we interact and work in “our world” as well as to look into the lives of others and get a better understanding how they live and work in “their world”. Understanding each other better can bridge the gap between my the worlds and help us all to eliminate classism and injustice against the poor. I have found many of Ruby Paynes suggestions, ideas, and concepts to be helpful and I think it will make me be a more sensitive and empathetic teacher. Do I think we should continue to challenge her ideas and concepts? Yes! That is what makes others continue to research; and questioning others ideas and opinions makes each of us grow and become better people as well. It is evident to me that Ruby Payne cares about the poor and wants to make the world a better place for us all. She may not have all the answers and may have over generalized a bit, but at least she is making an effort to educate the world and share the message she beleives so strongly in.
A Framework for Understanding Poverty is a cognitive study that looks at the thinking or mindsets. It is a naturalistic inquiry based upon a convenience sample. The inquiry occurred from being involved for 32 years with a neighborhood in generational poverty. This neighborhood was composed of 50–70 people (counts changed based upon situation, death, and mobility), mostly white. From that, an in‐depth disciplinary analysis of the research was undertaken to explain the behaviors. The book does not assert that all individuals in poverty (or middle class or wealth) adhere to the hidden rules of their economic class, but that an analysis of the research shows distinct patterns of behavior in individuals living in each economic class. For a full list of research references, please see http://www.ahaprocess.com/files/ResearchResults_School/ResearchBase_Bibliography_Framework.pdf
Since A Framework for Understanding Poverty was released in 1996, schools across the U.S. and in several foreign countries have been implementing strategies from the book. Many of these schools have seen significant improvements in student achievement. Detailed reports can be found at http://www.ahaprocess.com/School_Programs/ResearchResults/
Several items of note:
• An outside evaluator conducted a national study on the School Improvement Model (based on Ruby Payne’s work). The study strongly supports the efficacy of the model in improving student achievement in mathematics and English/reading/literacy/language arts. The full results of the national study are available at http://www.ahaprocess.com/files/ResearchResults_School/PSMResearchSummary_2004-2006.pdf
• Ridgeroad Middle Charter School in North Little Rock, Arkansas saw a 20% increase in their students’ literacy scores in one year. They have also seen a decrease in staff mobility since they began working with aha! Process.
• Menominee Indian School District in Keshena, Wisconsin has seen an increase in student achievement as well as a decrease in student office referrals. They have also involved their community in the aha! Process initiative and have seen increased academic success in 72% of the students served by the Collaboration for Kids program.
Ruby Payne’s research, or lack thereof, and books have fueled an ongoing debate on how teachers can best help students in poverty. I feel that the debate is justified. It is justified because the book does provide “a framework” of how to work with low income students, and it is also filled with stereotypes and generalizations about the three socio-economic classes, mainly poverty. Although it is lacking framework, this book is valuable in providing ideas for teachers that can be used in the classroom with all students.
We love having these conversations. Thank you so much for writing. We totally agree, poverty (middle class and wealth) are certainly not simple and clear cut in any way. Research identifies patterns, and in our work on poverty, we explain that we are talking about patterns and every pattern has exceptions. In understanding general group patterns, we are better able to understand someone who is different from us, and therefore, better able to work with them in a respectful and meaningful way.
It is very important to not make a student think their world is bad or wrong. We talk about how you have different rules for basketball than you do for football, and different rules for school and home. We emphasize that these are different rules, and you need to know which rules apply to which game. In the end, we are about helping students have opportunities and choices.
There are some thought provoking posts about Payne’s work and while I disagree with some of them, there are others that I believe are right on. I question how black or white Payne makes poverty and middle class appear. Is it really that simple to say if you are poor you believe and value these things, and if you are middle class you believe and value those? How is a teacher supposed to teach a student how to navigate the middle class world without making him think the world he lives in is bad or wrong? While I appreciate Payne’s work and her desire to improve the education of students of poverty, I will continue to research the topic looking for more research-based ideas.
I work in a school where we have a high percentage of students who recieve free or reduced lunch. I find the information found in Ruby Payne’s book, “A framework for understanding poverty” very helpful. The hidden values really help me understand why some of our programs are successful and why some of them are not. We have made changes to things we do based on what we have learned from Ruby Payne’s work, and have been successful and more effective in reaching all our students. Ruby Payne has helped us gain an understanding for something we do not know about because we do not live in poverty. I have read some who criticize and accuse Ruby Payne of labeling poor people as criminals, lazy and don’t work or have the right social skills. I believe Ruby Payne acknowledges the hard work and stress these people go through when surviving poverty. She comments on how many are working 2-3 jobs. She does not accuse them of having the proper social skills, but explains why their social skills are different than the middle class or wealthy. Understanding and gaining knowledge makes us more accountable to do something to help these children. I know we can’t do it all, but we can make sure that what we are doing is effective for students living in poverty.
[...] finally, a summary of what some bloggers are saying about the NYT article from the Payne organization blog itself, in which people who’ve never read her work or heard of Payne before reading the [...]