The document discusses the effects of poverty on childhood language and literacy development. It notes that language is key to literacy learning and that exposure to words helps develop knowledge. Poverty can negatively impact early language skills and language stimulation children receive. Research shows a gap in the number of words, variety of words, and time spent with reading that children from low-income homes hear compared to children from higher-income homes. This language gap can be detected as early as 18 months of age. Strategies used in high-performing, high-poverty schools include effective leadership, engaging parents and the community, having high expectations, focusing on reading, aligning the curriculum, using data, building instructional capacity, and optimizing time

1. S
Poverty effects on
Childhood Language &
Literacy Development
Emtinan Alqurashi
GDIT 819 Social Justice
Summer 2015

2. Language is the key
S Language is the key to literacy learning
S “Word knowledge” helps develop “world knowledge”

3. Poverty and Language
S Effects on Early Language
Skills
S Effects on Language
stimulation

4. The readiness gab
S Number of words heard (Hart and Risley, 1995)
S Variety of words heard (Wietz, 2001)
S Listening to language is not always a positive experience
(Hart and Risley, 1995)
S Time spent with reading experience (Whitehurst, 1997)

5. Language gap
S Fernald, A., Marchman,
V., & Weisleder (2012)
S Language gap between
rich and poor children
S SES differences at18
months of age
S 6 months gap

6. Strategies found in successful high-
performing, high-poverty schools
S Ensure effective district and school leadership
S Engage parents, communities, and schools to work as partners
S Understand and hold high expectations for poor students
S Target low‐performing students, particularly in reading
S Align, monitor and manage the curriculum
S Create a culture of data and assessment literacy
S Build and sustain instructional capacity
S Reorganize time, space and transition (Barr, Parrett,
2007)

7. References
- Barr, R.D., and Parrett, W.H. (2007). The kids left behind – Catching up the
underachieving children of poverty: A synthesis of research on what works in
high‐performing, high‐poverty schools. Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree.
- Fernald, A., Marchman, V., & Weisleder, A. (2012). SES differences in language
processing skill and vocabulary are evident at 18 months. Developmental Science,
16(2), 234-248. doi: 10.1111/desc.12019
- Hart, B. and Risely, T.R. (1995) Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experiences
of Young Children. Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
- Whitehurst, G. J. (1997). Language processes in context: Language learning in
children reared in poverty. In L. B. Adamson & M. A. Romski (Eds.), Communication
and language acquisition: Discoveries from atypical development (pp. 233-265).
Baltimore: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.