Poverty is not just a condition of not having enough money. It is a realm of particular rules, emotions, and knowledge that override all other ways of building relationships and making a life. This book was written as a guide and exercise book for middle-class teachers, who often don't connect with their impoverished students--largely because they don't understand the hidden rules of poverty. In the same way, poor children misconnect with school because they don't understand the hidden rules of middle-class life. Ruby Payne, a former teacher and principal who has been a member of all three of the economic cultures of our time (poor, middle-class, and wealthy) compassionately and dispassionately describes the hidden rules and knowledge of each. I think it's useful not just for educators, butfor anyone who has to deal with people of different backgrounds. Having read it, I feel a lot more confident about dealing with people as people, not as representatives of their social class.

Especially noteworthy is the "Could you survive?" quiz on page 53. For example, can you keep your clothes from being stolen at the laundromat, or entertain friends with stories? (That's essential knowledge for the world of the poor.) Can you get a library card or use a credit card? (Essential for middle-class life.) Can you ensure loyalty from a household staff, or build a wall of privacy and inaccessibility around you? (Essential knowledge for wealth.) Every class assumes that their knowledge is known by everyone, which is one reason they assume that people in other classes don't "get it." I also appreciate the telling point about upward mobility in America: It's possible for anyone to shift classes, but only at the price of leaving behind your existing personal relationships. One sign of A Framework's value is the way that educators who grew up in poverty from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, embrace this book.

A Framework for Understanding Poverty
Ruby K. Payne
1998, 204 pages
$ 22