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My daddy spent a number of his childhood years in foster care & living in the backwoods in Maryland and Virginia...so he knows poverty. But when I explain to him that I worked in a high poverty school or that I am a vagabond visiting high poverty schools across the country, he cocks his head, squints his eyes with suspicion and says - “You mean those kids who don't have lunch?” And he genuinely believes that the biggest problem the kids who don't have lunch have is that they don't have lunch.

I know that my daddy is not alone in having this perception.

So, what does “High Poverty” actually mean when it comes to schools? Does it mean that these schools struggle financially? That kids & teachers don't have enough resources? That that they deal with challenges?

First of all – let's recognize that ALL schools & school Theatre programs, teachers, and classes face challenges – including financial ones. We could have one heck of a pissing contest on that one...so let's just acknowledge that there are always challenges.

However – a “high poverty school” has many more factors involved.

All of the descriptions below are “typical” - they are not meant to be all-inclusive or elements that can ONLY exist in a high poverty school. I am not looking to argue semantics with anyone – instead, what I want to do is make sure that I have a clear grasp (and can articulate it to others) about what this bigger picture is. FYI – all of the data I have collected for the first set of statements below is from current school profiles & State Department of Education Data & Statistics departments & the U.S. Govt definitions of “high poverty” schools.

What elements define a “High Poverty” school?

1. High “diversity score” – usually 51-70% - and has increased by 3-43% over past 5 years

2. High free & reduced lunch eligibility – usually 60-100%

3. District allocation per student is 10-40% lower than the state average & decreasing

4. Student:teacher ratio is 5-25% higher than state average

5. Graduation rate is 5-20% lower than state average

6. Teacher population that has decreased by 4-18% over last five years

7. White population is typically 50% or less

8. Comparative test scores are 30-60% lower than the state average

9. AYP not met

10. Percentage of “Ethnic”, “Economically Disadvantaged”, “Mobile” & “Migrant” (their terms,

    NOT mine) ranking “Pre-Emergent” in test scores is exponentially higher than “White”

What happens because of those stats?

Basic Example

1. Students in higher poverty schools typically have lower test scores than the state average

   Some standard reasons:

       a) Transiency (haven't had a consistent education or been in the same school multiple years)

       b) Poor attendance

       c) Unidentified or unmanaged physical/mental/emotional issues

       d) Poor English language skills

       e) Malnourishment

       f)  Lack of electives offered that appeal to students which would increase skill sets for core courses

       g) Outdated or inappropriate teaching methodologies utilized with these students

2. Schools not meeting AYP or with high failure rates on state tests are mandated to improve those stats. Often the only way to do that is to create more support classes for the core classes wherein students are not making grade/score

3. In order to have students take the support classes to raise their scores, schools require

   the support class (to be taken in addition to the core class)

4. In order to fit these courses into a student's schedule, electives must be removed...however,

   most states require a minimum number of elective credits – thus these support classes become classified as “electives”

5. By requiring core subject support courses in lieu of standard electives (fine arts, foreign languages, welding, music, theatre, etc.) many electives cannot keep their numbers high enough to offer a full slate of courses in order to sustain their programs (especially programs which rely on progressive electives, ie., Drama 1 → Drama 2 → Drama 3)

6. As these electives shrink, high needs students become less interested in/involved in/committed to being students in their schools. Some drop out, others choose to be home schooled, and others remain in school but find themselves far less motivated & may not end up graduating.

There are a number of elements which typically follow in schools with these statistics:

1. Programs & students cannot generate enough funds to have involved students participate in activities that take place off campus (ie., Regional/State Conferences/Competitions, local productions)

2. Higher rates of gang affiliation, which data verifies are influenced by a lack of elective options

3. Lower attendance rates, which affects ability to teach basics in class or run effective rehearsals

4. Fewer full-time certified/trained Theatre teachers

5. Many students are required to go “home” after school instead of participating in activities because:

   a) they must babysit siblings while parents work

   b) there is no transportation outside of the school bus for a late pick-up

   c) adult in household cannot be left alone longer because of mental/physical health issues

   d) adult in household does not understand/respect the importance of after school activities that are not sports

   e) students are involved in human trafficking or other illegal activities

6. In schools with broad ethnic diversity, the respect/interest/understanding of the importance of live theatre (in school or otherwise) is
    extremely low because it is not a typical part of many non-white cultures

As I travel the US & look at school Theatre teachers working with high poverty communities, I hope to be able to better understand how they are managing to be so successful despite (or because of) these odds...because they are.

Meanwhile, I have only scratched the surface here...there is SO much more that I need to learn, see, discover, & understand. Hopefully, by putting this into words, I am better organized to share with other people (especially educators) as I travel.

And maybe someday I'll be able to help my daddy better understand about the population with which I work...and why it has become my passion.