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A Framework for Understanding Poverty was Dr. Ruby Payne's first book and the first book RFT Publishing Co. (now aha! Process, Inc.) published. It is fitting that the book and the company's history are intertwined. The central goal of the company is educating people about the differences that separate economic classes and then teaching them skills to bridge those gulfs. Framework is the method that delivers that message. Ruby's thesis for Framework is simple. Individuals accustomed to personal poverty think and act differently from people in the middle and upper economic classes. Most teachers today come from middle-class backgrounds. Economic class differences, in an educational setting, often make both teaching and learning challenging. Too often, teachers don't understand why a student from poverty is chronically acting out or is not grasping a concept even after repeated explanations. At the same time, the student doesn't understand what he/she is expected to produce and why. Ruby discusses at length the social cues or "hidden rules" that govern how we think and interact in society - and the significance of those rules in a classroom. Framework also illuminates differences between generational poverty and situational poverty. Ruby explains the "voices" that all of us use to project ourselves to the outside world and how poverty can affect those voices. Through the use of realistic teaching scenarios, Ruby focuses attention on sources of support, or resources, which might or might not be present in a student's life. Resources are important assets - things like mental stability, emotional support, and physical health - and the more resources students have in their lives, the better able they'll be to achieve their goals. Framework is a teacher's book. It draws on years of experience in multiple school systems, along with a wide range of academic positions. In this groundbreaking work Ruby Payne matter-of-factly presents the issues central to teaching students from poverty, then takes a pivotal next step by offering proven tools educators can use immediately to improve the quality of instruction in their classrooms.… (more)
User reviews
Avoid at all costs.
The major change in this edition is a sleeker, more scholarly appearing format. Cartoon graphics, the use of bold type and underlining have disappeared to be replaced by paragraphs, shaded blocks and more uniform lists. Unfortunately it has lost much of its user friendly feel that drew the reader inside the original book. Although there are very few concrete changes the over all feel of the book is greatly different. The other changes are in vocabulary, "cognitive deficiencies" has been replaced by "cognitive issues," and some race references are deleted or vocabulary altered (white to Caucasian and vice versa) in scenarios and elsewhere. All statistics have been updated to 2003 and there is a web address to obtain the latest ones.
The other noteworthy difference is the addition, in an appendix, of the article "Additive Model: aha! Process's Approach to Building High Achieving Schools. The author is Philip E. DeVol, coauthor with Ms Payne of the book Bridges Out of Poverty. In this article he discusses the difference between the deficit model, with its emphasis on fixing the individual, and the naming or identifying the underlying issues, which he calls the additive model. DeVol describes aha! Process's term 'additive model' as combing "the value of accurate problem identification with a positive, strength-based, communitywide approach to change." He reviews the information contained in A Framework such as the hidden rules, language, family structure and branches out to community sustainability. He explains this all in terms of the goals and focus of aha! Process. It is a direct answer to much of the current criticisms concerning lack of quantifiable research and classism being leveled at Ms Payne's A Framework for Understanding Poverty.
Dr. Payne’s work has been criticized for “deficit thinking” and for relying on stereo-typing in describing the plight of the poor. Yet much of what she says rings true in my experience. We tend to underestimate the resilience of our poor kids and we undervalue the strength of family ties in poor communities. On the other hand, when she describes the hidden rules of the middle class and the rich, she is clearly relying on stereotypes. This raises the question: at what point does her description and analysis of kids living in poverty also rely on stereotyping?
Some of the criticism of her work comes from academics who complain of a lack of rigor in this book, even though the book is meant for a general audience. That criticism is misguided. Nevertheless, the book does not incorporate the latest findings of cognitive psychology or neuroscience, and therefore is in need of updating
If, as a teacher, you
Also, what I liked most about this book is that it presents numerous concrete solutions that the classroom teacher and school administrators can easily implement.
This will affect my teaching immediately, as so many of the pitfalls I've encountered have been explained here--the way I handled certain behavior problems and why they weren't effective, when calling home will be effective and when it won't, etc.
The most unexpected things I learned from reading this has been figuring out some people close to me in my life. The book has been so eye-opening! It also explains why I, middle-classed, couldn't be in a room with people of generational wealth for 1 minute without seeming crude, base, or "low-class." When Payne explained the "rules of poverty" in terms that I could understand such as how the "rules of middle class" differ from those of the "upper class", it all made perfect sense. So much of this information was just dead-on. I'm seeing that many people find this to be too stereotypical, but I couldn't care less. It's made me take a much deeper look into my own ideas and misconceptions and has given me the resources to have an even deeper respect for people in poverty. (I tended to believe, deep down, that it's their own fault they "choose" to reject the government's attempts at giving them an education.) This is probably the most important book I've read in a few years, as its impact will reach into both my professional and personal life.