Best Practice on How to Maintain High Performance in High Poverty Schools

Although there are many philosophies and political mantras that tell us ‘we are all born equal’, in a capitalist world, this clearly is not the case; some people have great privilege and others live in abject poverty. One way to change this, and to be socially mobile, is to do well at school, and to get an education that allows you to compete. However, if you are in poverty, this can be hard. But, it is still possible, with little money, and in high poverty schools, to get high standards. This essay will argue that it is possible to achieve, even against the odds.

Just because there is not a great deal of money in a school, this does not mean that it is not possible to work hard. Although there are some facilities and experiences that an education in a well maintained and wealthy school can offer which a school in poverty cannot, hard work, commitment, and focus are still the most important attitudes when it comes to learning and meeting goals.

When there are not a great deal of facilities, the ones that are there need to be working all of the time, to maximize their benefits. By ensuring access to libraries, and work space, and whatever technology a school has access to, this allows students to make the very best of what there is. Of course, there are limits to what is possible, but good scheduling can make up for poor access to facilities.

It is essential to maintain standards of behaviour, dress, and general manner in a school, and this is even more true when the school is in an area that suffers from poverty. In order to succeed in education, students absolutely depend upon discipline, order, and routine. A school should provide a sanctuary from the madness of life.

So, although poverty and lack of money and facilities necessarily makes it harder to ensure standards of education, there are ways that schools can ensure, or at least try to ensure, that their students are given the best possible opportunity to learn, and thereby to move up the social ladder.