Colorado educators were told they must learn "hidden rules of poverty" if they are to bridge the learning gap between poor children and their more affluent peers.

"How many of you have students who wear $70 or $80 Tommy Hilfiger shirts but they can't pay for their books?" author Ruby Payne asked more than 550 educators gathered Saturday at an Englewood hotel.

"How many of you have students on free lunch but they bring $1 or $2 to school every other day for ice cream?"

Payne, a former principal and consultant whose book A Framework for Understanding Poverty is in its sixth printing, was a keynote speaker at an education summit organized by the Fund for Colorado's Future and Gov. Bill Owens.

School board members, superintendents, principals and others gathered to hear speakers from Colorado and across the country talk about how they boosted achievement among poor and minority students.

Payne said the contradictions seen in many poor schools make sense once educators understand the values and language of poverty. Why the Hilfiger shirt and the ice cream? Because poor parents base decisions on three overriding factors -- relationships, survival and entertainment, she said.

In the classroom, language can be a huge issue. Payne said language in many low-income homes tends to be personal and emotional. So many poor children must learn abstract concepts, such as time and distance, and the words to describe them at school.

"They don't have the abstract system and language to handle school," Payne said. "When you give it to them, they learn just like everybody else."

Another language barrier is vocabulary. Poor families often communicate nonverbally or with a limited and very casual vocabulary. Students who bring those words to school may be viewed as stupid or disrespectful.

"What language is your Colorado student assessment in? Formal?" she asked, and audience members nodded.

Payne said all classes -- poor, middle-class and wealthy -- have hidden rules that are never articulated to outsiders. You need to learn them to be effective with those groups, she said.

Owens, who has made closing the learning gap a key issue, also used the summit to praise educators. He has frequently fought with school groups over his reforms.

"I'm very, very proud of what we're doing across the state," he said. "We all want to do what's best for our children. We may disagree on the means, but we are united on the ends."

Rick O'Donnell, the governor's policy chief and the fund's director, said the governor "is committed to a new dialogue with educators."

"He really wants us to work together for all children in all schools," O'Donnell said. "He wants to start a new partnership."

Owens created the Fund for Colorado's Future a year ago to privately raise dollars to help the state's lowest-performing schools. In addition to the weekend conference, the fund has awarded grants totaling $917,000 for after-school programs in 16 low-performing middle schools. Summer activities include a "smart schools academy" for low-achieving schools and a technology training institute.

Educators at the summit said they are pleased by the efforts but remain skeptical.

"Actions continue to speak louder than words," said John Youngquist, principal at Denver's Newlon Elementary.

Contact Nancy Mitchell at (303) 892-5245 or at mitchelln@RockyMountainNews.com.