The Poverty Problem—The Impact of Poverty on Learning and the Brain

Poverty is the single most significant event impacting education today. Every year, school systems dedicate resources, draft policies, and create new services to meet students' academic and behavioral challenges coming from poverty. However, many of these attempts to address students' needs in poverty are occurring without vital information about how poverty is transforming students' brains today. Attempting to address poverty issues with only partial information is like completing a puzzle with key pieces missing. When the puzzle is assembled, you can make out the general picture, but many key details are lost. The brain transformations resulting from poverty speak to the heart of the academic and behavioral issues schools seek to overcome. The neuroscience of poverty provides a clear picture of why academic and behavioral problems occur in relation to poverty and how to design a more precise response to best address the issues.

Attendees will learn:

• How poverty transforms brain structures and functions
• The impact of poverty on learning and self-regulation
• How to modify instruction to have success with students from low-socioeconomic statuses