Poverty Is NOT a Learning Disability: Equalizing Opportunities for Low SES Students

Children of low socioeconomic status often enter school with poor skills, leading them to be misidentified as learning disabled. Educators in Grades K–12 can allocate resources for special education services more effectively and meet the needs of low SES students by preventing students from being placed in the wrong program and by providing readiness supports.

Offering an in-depth look at schools that have realized effective results in remarkable time frames, the authors challenge educators and parents to consider how low expectations can affect student achievement—and emphasize optimism as a necessary tenet of schools' day-to-day teaching/learning programs and school-community relationships. This resource provides:

Training resources for teaching low SES students
Assessment tools for identifying learning needs
Strategies for building relationships of trust and collaboration throughout the school community
Data charts that illustrate the increase in student achievement from schoolwide initiatives
A bibliography and glossary of pertinent research and terminology

With these strategies and tools, schools can meet the developmental and environmental needs of their most vulnerable students and watch student achievement and confidence soar!

Tish Howard has twenty years of experience as an educator working with children and parents in low SES schools. She has been recognized by the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development for development of positive school climate. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia.

Sandy Grogan Dresser is a human resources management consultant. She was a public school teacher and administrator for twelve years and lives in Reston, Virginia.

Dennis R. Dunklee is professor emeritus in the Education Leadership Department in the Graduate School of Education at George Mason University. He lives in Fairfax, Virginia.