Some basic information about our Partners in Math schools

Partners in Math targets the highest need schools in Austin ISD, based on economic need. "Economically disadvantaged" is defined as students from a household with income less than or equal to 185% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines (click here for more information).

The chart below contains some basic stats about the Partners in Math schools for the 2009-10 school year, as well as AISD district stats as a baseline.  Notable stats are highlighted in red.  Please note that the reported statistics for Fulmore include both their neighborhood students and the Humanities and Law Magnet program students hosted there.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty

This book by Ruby K. Payne, Ph.D.  is one of the most read, practical guidebooks on the topic.  It is used by social workers and educators, including being the primary source for AISD training.  However, this book is also controversial, with critics saying that it crosses a line into classism.  A great summary of the book's content and these critiques can be found at http://wik.ed.uiuc.edu/index.php/Framework_for_Understanding_Poverty,_A

Margaret McKinney shared some additional statistics for Burnet Middle School and some examples on how to motivate the students.  Click here for a handout provided by Margaret.

What are some effects of growing up economically disadvantaged?

"The evidence is well-known:  Urban poor neighborhoods, compared to urban higher-income or suburban neighborhoods, have higher crime rates; poorer-quality and more crowded housing; fewer employment opportunities; higher levels of pollution and toxins; and schools with larger classes, fewer resources, and lower levels of expenditure per pupil.  .  . Urban, low-income teenagers are indeed at high risk for delinquency, drug use, teenage pregnancy, school dropout, and HIV infection.  Availalble data also confirm that Latino and African American adolescents are disproportionately represented among the urban poor."

BUT . . .

"These statistics present ample cause for concern and intervention.  However, they mask the fact that the majority of urban poor adolescents do not become delinquent or drop out of schoool and that the majority of urban poor adolescent girls do not become pregnant.  Ethnographic evidence indicates that some are able to life themselves out of poverty, despite the structural obstacles in their way.  Little is known about the processes that bring about such successful outcomes.  Very few quantitative studies of normative development or competence among urban poor adolescents exist."

[source:  Adolescent Diversity in Ethnic, Economic, and Cultural Contexts, Ed. by Raymond Montemayor, Gerald Adams, & Thomas P. Gullotta]

What are some effects of growing up Latino in the US?

The majority of students in all of our schools are Hispanic, with the majority of these being Mexican American.  This presents distinct challenges for adolescents in identity formation, as described by Felipe Gonzales Castro, Gina R. Boyer, and Hector G. Balcazar in Adolescent Diversity in Ethnic, Economic, and Cultural Contexts (Ed. by Raymond Montemayor, Gerald Adams, & Thomas P. Gullotta). 

"The challenges to healthy adjustment among Mexican American adolescents are compounded by the conflicts in identity formation that result from having a dual identity as a member of two cultural groups.  These conflicts often prompt actions made under conditions that the Mexican American adolescent only partly understands.  For example, many Mexican American youth are confronted with choices:  (a) whether to identify with mainstream peers, with ethnic peers, or with both; (b) whether to learn to speak Spanish in addition to English; and (c) with which peer group to associate, although this may raise conflicts over loyalty to members of one's ethnic/racial group versus assimilating into the Anglo mainstream in part by attempting to join an Anglo peer group."

BUT . . .

"Despite the challenges involved in adjusting to two cultures, a growing body of literature endorses the advantages of developing a bicultural identity and the benefits of developing cultural flex, which involve developing the skills to respond effectively in two distinct cultural environments."

What does any of this mean for volunteers?

• Be accepting/nonjudgemental:  Your students may be very different than you are and have a lot going on in their lives.  They may talk about things that make you feel uncomfortable.  Remember that you volunteered because you care about them and want to make a difference in their lives, whoever they are.
• Be a good listener:   You don't always have to have answers or advice. Sometimes just sharing a problem helps.  If a situation seems truly serious, pass the information along to the classroom teacher (in person or via email) so that he/she can follow up on it.
• Be who you are, too: You don't need to be cool for students to listen to you; you just need to show them you care.
• Help students develop "cultural flex":  You are a role model for students, and you are helping them with more than just math!  Particularly during adolescence, all students benefit from explicit role modeling in professionalism.  As a community professional, you are a weekly example of the "business" world.  All students already have a culture that we do not wish to replace, but we also want them to have knowledge of all the norms for success among professionals.  The way you speak with students, and even the way you dress and carry yourself, all serve as models of these norms.  You can also teach them norms more overtly, by shaking hands with students or talking with them about the way office groups function.

 Click here for the handout provided by Margaret at Burnet Middle School.