ISSUES AFFECTING STUDENTS

POVERTY

• Poverty can have a profound effect on children, adversely affecting many aspects of their lives.
• Children of poverty may be homeless or living in substandard housing, suffering from inadequate nutrition or food insecurity, and receiving inadequate health care.
• Children living in poverty stricken neighborhoods often attend under resourced schools.

EFFECTS OF POVERTY

• Chronic stress of their daily lives can affect memory and concentration, making learning difficult for children of poverty.
• Lack of cognitive stimulation and learning materials in the home negatively affects early learning and development.
• Children of poverty are at greater risk for having ADHD, aggression, and conduct disorders, as well as other mental health issues.
• The drop out rate is 4.5 times higher for children living in poverty than their bette off peers.

RESOURCES

• Interventions for children of poverty can be aid directly to the child, or it may be aid to the family or the school.
• Subsidized Housing
• Coalition to End Poverty
• Title One Program: designed to provide extra resources to high poverty schools
• Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP): provides families with assists purchasing food
• Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
• National School Breakfast and Lunch Program

MENTAL ILLNESS

• Mental health problems are common and often develop during childhood and adolescence.
• Early detection and interventions make a difference, and teachers may be the first person to notice the signs and symptoms in a student.
• Mental health issues affect classroom learning and social interaction which are critical to the success of the student.
• For adolescents aged 13-18, in an average sized classroom of 25 students, at any given time there may be as many as 4 or 5 students struggling with serious mental illness.

EFFECTS OF MENTAL ILLNESS

• Of those affected, nearly two thirds do not receive mental health services, due to cost or the stigma associated with a diagnosis.
• Mental illness contributes to absenteeism and tardiness.
• Mental illness such as depression can cause problems with concentration, focus and completing tasks such as homework.
• Academic problems vary with diagnosis, but include poor grades, poor school attendance, high drop out rate, and low rate of college entrance.

RESOURCES

• The classroom teacher is often the first, most important resource for the student with mental health issues. It important for the teacher to create a culture of connection and caring.
• National Alliance for Mental Illness: advocates for the services and supports schools need to provide school based mental health services.
• SC Department of Mental Health: statewide network of community mental health centers, clinics, and hospitals.
• Dee Norton Lowcountry Children's Center
• Www.goodtherapy.org

DYSLEXIA

• Dyslexia is a learning disability that is very common, affecting 20% of the population.
• 80-90% of children with learning disabilities have dyslexia.
• There is a neurological basis for dyslexia-a difference in brain connectivity.
• Many children may have more than one learning and/or attention issue; ADHD often co-occurs with dyslexia.
• Dyslexia has no connection to intelligence-dyslexic students often may be quick and creative thinkers.

EFFECTS OF DYSLEXIA

• Dyslexia profoundly affects reading ability: dyslexic children have difficulty matching letters seen on written page with the sounds that they make. They have difficulty reading fluently and understanding written material.
• Dyslexics may struggle with language comprehension issues as well as social cues.
• Children who are not able to read at grade level in their early years are at increased risk for failure to graduate, as well as long term consequences in employability and earning.
• Early intervention is important in order to get a student reading on grade level.

RESOURCES

• SC DOE Dyslexia Training Modules: online training modules for all K-3rd grade teachers regarding dyslexia and use of testing and screening, as well as interventions.
• www.decodingdyslexia.com: information website for parents with articles and links to legal information and support groups.
• Trident Academy, Mt Pleasant, SC: local school for students k-12 diagnosed with dyslexia and other disabilities. Accredited Orton-Gillingham school.
• www.lexercise.com: online reading and writing therapy website with free dyslexia testing.

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

• English Language Learners (ELLs) are the fastest growing segment of the student population in the United States, increasing by more than 60% over the 10 year period from 1994-2005.
• The 2007 Census Bureau Survey reported that 1 in 5 children in the US spoke a language other than English at home, and 1 in 4 children had difficulty speaking English.
• Statistics show that better social and cognitive outcomes are associated with earlier acquisition of English proficiency, ideally by kindergarten entry.

EFFECTS ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

• Learning gaps that appear for children who are not English proficient early on may continue throughout their school years, and even worsen.
• ELL children are at greater risk for low academic achievement due to language difficulties, but also due to family circumstances such as poverty, low parental education, and legal status of parents if immigrants.
• ELL students are at greater risk for reading and math difficulties in elementary and middle school, leading to high school drop out and low college attendance.

RESOURCES

• Carolina TESOL: non-profit organization dedicated to improving education for ELLs in North and South Carolina.
• South Carolina State Parent Information Resource Center: reaches out to parents of low income minority and low English proficiency children enrolled in elementary and secondary schools.
• Access for ELL K-12: SC guidelines for yearly testing for English proficiency for limited English proficiency students. Determines interventions for daily instructions.

BULLYING

• In 2014 the CDC and the Department of Education devised the first federal, uniform definition of bullying for research purposes.
• The core elements of bullying include the following: unwanted aggressive behavior, observed or perceived power imbalance, and repetition of behaviors.
• The definition included 2 modes: direct and indirect, as well as 4 types: physical, verbal, relational, and damage to property.
• Around 1 in 4 students say that they have been bullied at school, higher for LGBTQ students.

EFFECTS OF BULLYING

• Bullying has an effect on all youth involved.
• Those who have been bullied may suffer a multitude of psychosocial effects, as well as decreased academic performance, and absenteeism or dropping out.
• Students who bully are more likely to abuse drugs or alcohol, get into fights, vandalize property, and drop out of school.
• 12 of the 15 school shootings in the 1990's had shooters that had a history of being bullied.
• There is no single profile of the person who bullies.

RESOURCES

• www.stopbullying.gov: official website of US government on bullying.
• SC Association of School Administrators SC Bullying Prevention Initiative: information regarding 2 day training sessions to implement whole school program proven to prevent bullying.
• http://www.bystanderrevolution.org: website offering practical advice on simple things individuals can do to defuse bullying.
• www.schoolclimate.org: National School Climate Center-seeks to promote positive school climate
• National Suicide PreventionHotline

INTERCONNECTION OF ISSUES

• These five issues are rarely isolated, and are often interconnected.
• 68% of ELLs are living in poverty, with all that entails.
• Children with disabilities, mental health issues, or limited English proficiency may be seen as "different " and become targets for bullying.
• Children who have been bullied may then suffer mental health issues.
• Poverty puts children at risk for some of the other issues mentioned here, such as mental illness and learning disabilities.
• Attention disorders often co-occur with dyslexia.

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