From Poverty to Purpose: Equalizing Opportunities for Economically Disadvantaged Students

Background: Owens (2019) argues that “educational achievement and attainment gaps between high and low socioeconomic status youth may lead to greater inequality in future outcomes, like employment, income, neighborhood residence, criminality, and health.” School leaders have implemented various school reform initiatives to close opportunity gaps for low socioeconomic status and at-risk students throughout the history of education. In 2022, poverty rates were higher than the national average (16.3 percent) for the children who were American Indian/Alaska Native (32 percent), Black/African American (31 percent), and Hispanic (23 percent). (National Center for Educational Statistics, 2023). With poverty levels rising in substantial demographics, there is a need for educators to change mindsets and behaviors and enhance skill sets to effectively make a positive difference in educational outcomes for low-SES students. Many educators' lack of knowledge and awareness about diverse groups raises essential questions for educational equity and the hope of ending the opportunity gap (Howard, 2010). Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the engaged beliefs, tools, techniques, and strategies of middle school teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators; to empower students to be successful at Title-1 campuses by closing the opportunity gap between economically vulnerable students and non-economically vulnerable students. This study hoped to identify strategies to change dynamics and improve educational outcomes for economically vulnerable students. To ensure its purpose is comprehensively addressed, the following research question navigates the extent of this study: (1) What do Title I middle school participants identify as successful instructional practices for closing the opportunity gap between economically disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged students? (a) How do participants describe building positive relationships with economically disadvantaged students and their families? (b) How do participants describe using formative and summative assessments to support the academic success of economically disadvantaged students? (c) How do participants describe learning experiences that facilitate the academic success of economically disadvantaged students? (d) How do participants describe creating a positive climate for instruction that supports the success of economically disadvantaged students? Methods: The preferred methodology or research design was determined to be qualitative because of the need to understand the knowledge, skill sets, and attributes identified in teachers who successfully close the opportunity gap of economically vulnerable students, and also the administrators who supervised the teachers. Each participant participated in two semi-structured interviews, totaling approximately 75 minutes. Interviews were audio recorded using Microsoft TEAMS to ensure accuracy, transcribed, and coded following generally accepted research methods (Bhattacharya, 2017; Creswell, 2014). Results: The overall objective of this study aimed to explore what experiences, perceptions, mindsets, and instructional strategies have been positively productive in order to make recommendations to future educators on how to define successful strategies for helping all students living in poverty succeed by implementing processes and procedures and ensuring administrative practices aid in closing the achievement gap. Granting profound efforts were made in attempts to recruit a diverse consortium of teaching professionals who met the parameters of the research study, four commonalities were found. All four teachers' educational experience consisted of all Title-1 campuses, had cultural awareness, focused on frequent assessments, and all have a passion for assisting and building positive relationships with low-SES, economically disadvantaged students. The data from the administrators' observation of these educators produced similar commonalities but also included a planning aspect. Nine themes emerged from the data analysis: 1) building positive relationships, 2) learning partnerships, 3) building connections, 4) learning experiences, 5) awareness, 6) community building, 7) assessment of students’ skills, 8) positive climate, and 9) cultural knowledge. Conclusion: The implications of the study show a myriad of factors that contribute to success, are conducive if the mindset and the perception of teachers who provide instruction to students of poverty focus on the attributes and factors that are beyond what is seen in the natural. The mindset and perception of teachers who provide instruction to students of poverty can also be influencing factors concerning student success. As an administrator who has worked in high-poverty Title-1 campuses, I was initially told that most of the students were expected to be among the district's lowest-performing despite all efforts to increase standardized test results. I found this to be far from the truth and can be contingent upon the learning experiences, connections built, instructional strategies, and awareness of the student's needs. Once determined, the learning partnership involving all stakeholders can lead to endless possibilities for student achievement, as educators differentiate instructional strategies, create positive climates to produce relevant and tangible results that enable the success of all students, and close the opportunity gap of economically disadvantaged students.

Name thesis:degree_name

Doctor of Education

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Professional Leadership, Education

Grantor

University of Houston

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Crowder, Derrick L. 1979-

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Butcher, Keith
• Davis, Bradley

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Borneman, Robert
• Klussmann, Duncan

• Educational leadership

Language dc:language.iso

English

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10657/19598

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:uh-ir.tdl.org:10657/19598