Strategies for supporting elementary students of poverty in reading

Abstract

Reading achievement is especially important for students of poverty because research has shown that students who come from poverty achieve less academically and often drop out of school at a higher rate than their wealthier peers. While teachers cannot make students motivated, they can create motivational learning environments. There are several strategies that support children of poverty to learn to read. Some of these strategies include the following: administrative support of focused professional development, establish professional learning communities, create a classroom focus on learning, provide access to reading materials, establish summer reading programs, and provide reading instruction at the appropriate level.