aha! Process, Inc. Blog

We are a publishing and training company, providing eye-opening interventions to help raise achievement through our workshops, publications, and consulting services.

aha! Process, Inc. educates about class and poverty. Everyone has had the moment. Struggling to understand something, wanting to grasp it so badly, yet it remains a hazy, elusive concept. And then, “aha!” Suddenly, it all makes sense.Devoted to educating professionals and community leaders about the effects of class and poverty on our society, aha! Process, Inc. was founded as RFT Publishing Co. in 1994 by Dr. Ruby K. Payne. The company began with an emphasis on education and the difficulty children from poverty experience in most schools. The company expanded its focus to include information for government officials, churches, and social service agencies serving people from poverty. The company spreads the message that in all types of social interaction, poverty creates obstacles that require specific tactics to overcome. Experts from aha! Process, Inc. work with school districts, social service groups, and businesses to help people better understand these related issues.Ruby Payne started her educational career in 1972. Throughout that career, she had the opportunity to work in schools with students from a wide variety of economic backgrounds. Those experiences taught Ruby that “hidden rules” exist in economic classes. More importantly, when those in positions of power and authority come from a class with rules different from those they work with, understanding and communication can break down. For instance, a middle-class teacher with a classroom of students largely from poverty often expects them to behave in middle-class ways – and is perplexed when they do not.Misunderstanding, or being unaware of hidden rules, also makes it very difficult for people to advance from one social niche to another.

As Ruby discussed these insights with other educators, social service providers, government officials, and members of the clergy, “aha!” became a typical response – first in Texas, then all across North America. Recognizing the limited impact of spreading the word one person at a time, Ruby wrote A Framework for Understanding Poverty.

From that foundation, aha! Process, Inc. has developed a comprehensive set of books dealing with poverty in such areas as education, social services, faith communities, and leadership. In addition, it has produced videos, audiotapes, transparencies, and guides. The organization conducts approximately 200 seminars each year in the United States and Canada. aha! Process, Inc. has become a leading force in facilitating understanding between economic classes.

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