Teaching with Poverty in Mind

What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It

By: Eric Jensen

Narrated by: Basil Sands

Length: 6 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

In Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids' Brains and What Schools Can Do About It, veteran educator and brain expert Eric Jensen takes an unflinching look at how poverty hurts children, families, and communities across the United States and demonstrates how schools can improve the academic achievement and life readiness of economically disadvantaged students.

Jensen argues that although chronic exposure to poverty can result in detrimental changes to the brain, the brain's very ability to adapt from experience means that poor children can also experience emotional, social, and academic success. A brain that is susceptible to adverse environmental effects is equally susceptible to the positive effects of rich, balanced learning environments and caring relationships that build students' resilience, self-esteem, and character.

Drawing from research, experience, and real school success stories, Teaching with Poverty in Mind reveals what poverty is and how it affects students in school; what drives change both at the macro level (within schools and districts) and at the micro level (inside a student's brain); effective strategies from those who have succeeded and ways to replicate those best practices at your own school; and how to engage the resources necessary to make change happen.

©2009 ASCD (P)2019 Tantor

All Educational Professionals Should Read

One of many thought provoking quotes from this book—which pretty much sums up the contents: “Until your school finds ways to address the social, emotional, and health-related challenges that your kids face everyday, academic excellence is just a politically correct but highly unlikely goal.” Will definitely be implementing the ideas and strategies of this book into my school psychology framework. So glad I came across this book!

Thoughts About The Book Contents

I Like everything about the book. The book was excellently written, easy to understand with Action points that were excellent.

Must read for teachers

A must-read for teachers in our nation's failing schools. Author provides practical real-world advice.

Good resource to inspire change

Teaching with Poverty in Mind offers strategies for improving social and academic outcomes for our most vulnerable children. While not a step-by-step guide, it is a call to action with resources to increase effectiveness in the classroom.

Important book but awful narrator!

The content of this book is really important and well written but the narrator ruined the book. He sounded like a game show host. It was a forced performance. I needed up returning the Audible book and purchased the paperback book instead. This book is necessary for any educator working in a Title 1 school.

Reads like a research paper

Very disappointed in this. Impersonal, both the book and reader. Wish there was more real experience brought in how the strategies were practiced and results from personal experience or even stories from other teachers.

Worst Book Ever

This book does not portray the image of a majority of students in poverty. Students in poverty come with an abundant number of skills.