Life's not fair for some children. This is a fact educators must deal with every day. Some children come to school from poverty-stricken homes, from violent neighborhoods, or from families that provide little support. How can teachers and administrators help these children triumph over the adversities they face? That was the question explored by Margaret Wang and Ronald Taylor in the session, "How Culturally Diverse Families Promote Educational Resilience."
Wang, of the Center for Research in Human Development and Education at Temple University, has examined the characteristics of "resilient" children—those who have recovered from natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods. What Wang found is that resilient children share attributes that enable them to overcome the barriers in their lives, such as the ability to set goals, solve problems, and maintain a sense of humor. "The two most salient qualities are the high levels of engagement and sense of personal agency" these children have, she noted.
Teachers need to recognize that these are abilities they can teach and nurture, said Wang. In most schools today, she observed, teachers often feel the issues confronting children "are beyond them." That's simply not true, Wang asserted. "There are actions teachers can take" to help children succeed, in spite of their hapless circumstances.
Institutions, too, need to examine whether they are adding risk to students' lives. "When resources and services are fragmented and disjointed," the children who need those services don't get them, Wang noted. Schools that coordinate resources and special programs can better support and sustain the resiliency in students, she suggested.
Ron Taylor, also from Temple University, agreed that it's important to identify the external variables that educators can alter. His research on poor African American, Puerto Rican, and Dominican families in New York City revealed a not-so-surprising link between the mental well-being of parents and that of their children. "This is the research that will help us understand what it is we need to change," he said, calling on city officials to take responsibility for improving the living conditions of poor families.
One of the first things educators and city officials could do is work together to help alleviate the "feelings of despair" that engulf some children. How? By helping mothers become better parents, said Taylor. His research shows that a mother's support and acceptance of her adolescent children has a direct link to her children's mental health. So, said Taylor, it's obvious: "To improve the chances that mothers will be accepting, link mothers to support."
Finding solutions like these is imperative, Taylor said, because otherwise poor families bear too great a burden. "It's not reasonable to expect that families are always going to adapt to conditions over which they have no control," he argued. "It's unreasonable to expect that kids are always going to have a sense of humor in the face of disadvantage." Sometimes, Taylor stated, "cities need to change and do something about the adverse conditions these children face."