A Framework for Understanding Poverty

A Framework for Understanding Poverty
By Laura Fortson-Williams

Ruby Payne’s critically acclaimed A Framework for Understanding Poverty seeks to provide a model of both behaviors and instructional techniques to be used when working with people living in poverty. It is a workbook, of sorts, providing case studies, surveys, and tests, and is aimed at teachers and others whose primary occupation includes populations who are living in either generational or situational poverty. Though one will be hard pressed to find research describing Payne’s own upbringing (was it poor, middle class, wealthy?) what we do know from the back cover of the book is that Payne began educating in 1972 and has been both teacher and administrator, and holds a PhD in Educational Leadership. She is founder of aha! Process, Inc., the publisher of A Framework for Understanding Poverty. It is important to note that ahaprocess.com, the website associated with Payne’s own publishing company, aha process, inc. describes the work as:“a cognitive study that looks at the thinking or mindsets created by environments. It is a naturalistic inquiry based upon a convenience sample. The inquiry occurred from being involved for 32 years with a neighborhood in generational poverty. This neighborhood comprised 50-70 people......mostly white. From that, an in-depth disciplinary analysis of the research was undertaken to explain the behaviors. It does not qualify as ‘research’ against university standards because it does not have a clean methodology.” (http://preview.ahaprocess.com/files/RnD_School/ResearchBase_Explanation_Framework.pdf)Payne begins her work by revealing that the book grew out of a request from a colleague to address discipline issues in school. Having become somewhat of an expert on the subject among her colleagues, her discoveries were well respected by that population.
Payne identifies and defines 12 key concepts that are repeated throughout her book. The book goes on to provide statistics about poverty and offers definitions of resources that Payne believes are imperative for escaping poverty. She specifically points out that poverty is often equated with a lack of financial resources, and that although those financial resources are important, leaving poverty is more dependent upon the availability of the other resources. (Those resources include emotional, spiritual, mental, physical, support systems, relationships/role models, and knowledge of hidden rules). She defines poverty as “the extent to which an individual does without [those} resources” (pg 8).The role of language and the hidden rules of both the poor and the middle class are, in Payne’s opinion, critical for understanding how to work with students in poverty.
Payne repeatedly (and admirably, in my opinion) points out throughout her book that it is neither a lack of intelligence nor ability that keep people in generational poverty, but it is the lack of choices and resources that make it difficult for one to escape generational poverty.
Other chapters focus on the importance of role models and emotional resources, support systems and discipline. But of paramount importance for the education leader is Chapter 8: Instruction and Improving Achievement. This chapter IS researched, providing background knowledge for the reader of learning structures and cognitive strategies for instruction. Finally in chapter nine the author states that “The key to achievement for students from poverty is in creating relationships with them”. Payne believes that “the most significant motivator for these students is relationships” and describes in detail how to make “deposits” to the student and avoid emotional “withdrawals”.
Payne’s work has been criticized as being both classist and racist. One of her opponents is Dr. Paul Gorski. Gorski is an assistant professor of Integrative Studies in George Mason University's New Century College, where he teaches classes on class and poverty, educational equity, and environmental justice.. He calls her book “oppressively conservative” and says that her book fails to address “how the middle and upper classes maintain class privilege through the education system” (http://www.edchange.org/publications/Savage_Unrealities.pdf). Gorski’s opinion is that Payne seeks to reframe the concept of poverty to get her point across. Among other criticisms, Gorski states that Payne “flubs” the cause and effect relationship and equates her “muddling” of poverty related causes to NCLB. He eludes to the notion that Payne is popular or trendy but does not provide adequate analysis of her own work. I tend to agree. Payne’s book is based upon a sampling of 50 people. Parts of the book read quite stereotypically, as in the case study of Lakeitha, a rude, inner-city girl whose father is incarcerated, and Juan, “a 6-year-old Hispanic boy whose father was killed in a gang related killing”.
Ruby Payne’s intent in her work is important, and the undertaking of writing about understanding poverty is quite admirable. However, Payne may have made quite a few enormous mistakes in her endeavors, especially when she speaks of a “culture” of poverty. A culture of poverty does not exist. Those living in poverty are so much more than “someone who is poor”. Each person living in poverty has an ethnic culture, a gender, political beliefs, values, and interests. Educational professionals might be wise to view the book as more of a trendy opinion piece, than the “gospel” of how to understand the concept of poverty. Furthermore, because the work is largely based on sampling of 50-70 people and is a naturalistic study, educators reading this book would also be wise to proceed with caution.