Adolescence: Change and Continuity

Questions from Teachers . . . Answers from Students

Adolescence: Change and Continuity

Questions from Teachers . . . Advice from Students

The following note was sent to the Adolescence: Change and Continuity website.

Professor Darling:

I just perused your website re adolescence.  Found it excellent and very helpful.

I have a question.  Whether it's appropriate to your site, I don't know, but worth a try, and might stimulate conversation in your classes. 

I am a 6th grade teacher here on the Monterey Peninsula in California working in a community serving children of poverty.  We have high ethnicity (90+% Hispanic), high poverty (70+% Free Lunch), high transitional language (70% LEP), and relatively low parent education (70% have not completed high school).  At the moment I am a member of a district leadership team looking at test scores (they are low, 20th percentile in reading and math), and possible interventions.

In the moment I am interested in trying to understand (in the full sense of the word) our situation, the community, and the children arising from families within the community. My query stems from this interest and background.  It's obviously complicated;  still, I wish to have a sense for the variety of factors -- social, cultural, educational -- involved. . . .

A basic question is  what is the impact of poverty on cognitive development?  (Perhaps I need to explore literature.)  Where does the research point? 

Again, any assist you might be is very much appreciated.

Tod Spedding
Carmel Valley, CA

Students from HDFS 433 answered this question:

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Last updated 4/16/01.