Disrupting Poverty: Five Powerful Classroom Practices

All educators should read this and it should be required reading for all undergrad education students prior to heading into the field.

Effective teaching is founded upon strong, mutually respectful relationships—that is the fundamental principle of this book. And, as with all of the strategies the authors discuss, teaching that works for students who live in poverty will work for all students.Budge and Parrett wisely begin their book with a frank discussion of poverty, especially its impact on the perceptions and biases (both acknowledged and hidden) of teachers. Throughout this rather brief but nonetheless dense volume, they challenge readers to unlearn what they think they know about poverty, relearn its effects on students, and put that new knowledge into action. In the book’s subtitle, they modestly claim that they focus on “five powerful classroom practices” when in fact they mention a great many ways to disrupt poverty through sound classroom practice founded upon the fundamentals of constructivist pedagogy—or, as they characterize it, a “pedagogy of possibility” (p. 134).Offering descriptions rather than prescriptions, the authors provide student-centered strategies founded upon theory, research, and the lived experiences of teachers (all of whom grew up in poverty themselves) whose voices are woven prominently throughout the text in the form of personal testimonials and reflections. These strategies can be adapted for just about any grade level and subject, and they complement a variety of teaching styles. Unsurprisingly, success with students who live in poverty is largely dependent upon the teacher’s chosen disposition, and the ideas in this book can help all teachers—from novices to veterans—boost their knowledge, strengthen their skills, and reflect on their practice. Highly recommended.