This qualitative study examines the challenges of poverty through the stories of students and their families in one Michigan elementary school. The goal was to explore the needs, challenges, and obstacles confronting children in poverty in a small Michigan town by focusing on the perspectives and experiences of low-income students and their parents/guardians. Two families and one teacher were interviewed in depth, using open-ended, semi-structured interview techniques. Two case studies were constructed from the content of the interviews, and key thematic findings that emerged revealed ongoing stress, fear, sadness, and frustration with which the children lived, as well as strong resilience and determination. These key themes are analyzed in relation to the effects of poverty on school children and their caregivers. The study concludes with recommendations for educators that could help low-income children succeed in school.
","abstract_html":"<p>This qualitative study examines the challenges of poverty through the stories of students and their families in one Michigan elementary school. The goal was to explore the needs, challenges, and obstacles confronting children in poverty in a small Michigan town by focusing on the perspectives and experiences of low-income students and their parents/guardians. Two families and one teacher were interviewed in depth, using open-ended, semi-structured interview techniques. Two case studies were constructed from the content of the interviews, and key thematic findings that emerged revealed ongoing stress, fear, sadness, and frustration with which the children lived, as well as strong resilience and determination. These key themes are analyzed in relation to the effects of poverty on school children and their caregivers. The study concludes with recommendations for educators that could help low-income children succeed in school.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Weatherwax, Kristen"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts (MA)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Teacher Education","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Valerie Polakow, PhD, Chair","Rebecca Martusewicz, EdD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2008,"date_issued":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2008-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z","subjects":["Children with social disabilities Education United States","Poor children Education United States","Home and school United States","Parent-teacher relationships","Education"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/185","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Valerie Polakow, PhD, Chair","Rebecca Martusewicz, EdD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Weatherwax, Kristen"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Teacher Education"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts (MA)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Children with social disabilities Education United States","Poor children Education United States","Home and school United States","Parent-teacher relationships","Education"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/185"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This qualitative study examines the challenges of poverty through the stories of students and their families in one Michigan elementary school. The goal was to explore the needs, challenges, and obstacles confronting children in poverty in a small Michigan town by focusing on the perspectives and experiences of low-income students and their parents/guardians. Two families and one teacher were interviewed in depth, using open-ended, semi-structured interview techniques. Two case studies were constructed from the content of the interviews, and key thematic findings that emerged revealed ongoing stress, fear, sadness, and frustration with which the children lived, as well as strong resilience and determination. These key themes are analyzed in relation to the effects of poverty on school children and their caregivers. The study concludes with recommendations for educators that could help low-income children succeed in school.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Voices of poverty: Perspectives of one school's student, teachers. and parents"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Valerie Polakow, PhD, Chair","Rebecca Martusewicz, EdD","Patricia Pokay, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Weatherwax, Kristen"],"dc:description.abstract":["This qualitative study examines the challenges of poverty through the stories of students and their families in one Michigan elementary school. The goal was to explore the needs, challenges, and obstacles confronting children in poverty in a small Michigan town by focusing on the perspectives and experiences of low-income students and their parents/guardians. Two families and one teacher were interviewed in depth, using open-ended, semi-structured interview techniques. Two case studies were constructed from the content of the interviews, and key thematic findings that emerged revealed ongoing stress, fear, sadness, and frustration with which the children lived, as well as strong resilience and determination. These key themes are analyzed in relation to the effects of poverty on school children and their caregivers. The study concludes with recommendations for educators that could help low-income children succeed in school.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/185"],"dc:subject":["Children with social disabilities Education United States","Poor children Education United States","Home and school United States","Parent-teacher relationships","Education"],"dc:title":["Voices of poverty: Perspectives of one school's student, teachers. and parents"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Teacher Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts (MA)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:30Z"}