Low-Income Parents with High Expectations

It's a common myth that low-income parents don't really care about what their children achieve academically. So many times, I hear from teachers who work at low-income schools, "The parents just don't care..."

Well, I've known for a long time that that is simply not true. This doesn't mean that there aren't challenges with working with parents who are low-income, but you just have to look beyond the surface. Many of these parents work several jobs just to make ends meet, are single parents, or come from a culture where entering the school, and participating in the school process, are not ingrained.

Here's some proof (this is just one of many, MANY studies that support this finding):

The Tucson GEAR UP Project surveyed its parents last spring, and asked a simple question...."How far would you like your child to go in school?" Here are the results:

• 89% of the parents who responded said that they wanted their children to earn a bachelor's or graduate degree....In fact.....
• 55% of those parents wanted their children to earn an advanced graduate degree
• Only 2% were satisfied with a High School diploma or GED certificate

From the newsletter published by Tucson GEAR UP :

"Parents, family members, and other adult role models play a significant part in the academic success of students. By instilling high expectations for hard work and achievement, students are encouraged to follow a rigorous college preparation curriculum that prepares tthem to be successful in college....research shows that students with strong family support are more likely to graduate from high school and go on to college."

So, don't write low-income students, or their parents, off - share in those high expectations, and provide an environment where they can be met, and watch the students shine.....

Thanks for reading.

Alisa