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We are
an award-winning
publishing and training company providing eye-opening interventions to help raise achievement through
our workshops, publications, and consulting services.
aha! Process, Inc. educates about class and poverty. Everyone has had the moment: struggling to
understand something, wanting to grasp it so badly, yet it remains a hazy, elusive concept. And then, "aha!" Suddenly,
it all makes sense. Devoted to educating professionals and community leaders about the effects of class and poverty
on our society, aha! Process, Inc. was founded as RFT Publishing Co. in 1994 by Dr. Ruby K. Payne. The company
began with an emphasis on education and the difficulty children from poverty experience in most schools. The
company expanded its focus to include information for government officials, churches, and social service agencies
serving people from poverty. The company spreads the message that in all types of social interaction, poverty creates
obstacles that require specific tactics to overcome. Experts from aha! Process, Inc. work with school districts, social
service groups, and businesses to help people better understand these related issues. Ruby Payne started her educational
career in 1972. Throughout that career she had the opportunity to work in schools with students from a wide variety of economic
backgrounds. Those experiences taught Ruby that hidden rules exist in economic classes. More importantly, when those in
positions of power and authority come from a class with rules different from those they work with, understanding and
communication can break down. For instance, a middle-class teacher with a classroom of students largely from poverty
often expects them to behave in middle-class ways—and is perplexed when they do not. Misunderstanding or being unaware
of hidden rules also makes it very difficult for people to move from one social class to another.
As Ruby discussed these insights with other educators, social service providers, government officials, and members of
the clergy, "aha!" became a typical response—first in Texas, then all across North America. Recognizing the limited impact
of spreading the word one person at a time, Ruby wrote A Framework for Understanding Poverty.
From that foundation, aha! Process, Inc. has developed a comprehensive set of books dealing with poverty in such
areas as education, social services, faith communities, and leadership. In addition, it has produced videos, audiotapes,
transparencies, and guides. The organization conducts approximately 200 seminars each year in the United States and Canada.
aha! Process, Inc. has become a leading force in facilitating understanding between economic classes.
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