Staff Perceptions of their Utilization of the Actions and Agreement with the KeyPoints of Ruby Payne’s Framework for Understanding Poverty

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent certified staff membersperceive they utilize Ruby Payne’s Framework of Poverty actions and if their perceptionsdiffer among school levels. An additional purpose of this study was to determine theextent certified staff members agree with Ruby Payne’s Framework of Poverty key pointsand if their agreement differs among school levels. The sample consisted of certifiedstaff members, excluding administrators, from District B during the 2018-2019 schoolyear, who chose to complete the survey. The instrument utilized in this quantitative studywas an electronic survey created by the researcher based on actions and key points fromRuby Payne’s (2017) A Framework for Understanding Poverty Trainer CertificationManual, which is used by District B trainers to provide certified staff with professionaldevelopment on Payne’s model. Results from the study revealed certified staff membersperceive they utilize the Ruby Payne Framework of Poverty actions. The resultsregarding the extent certified staff members’ perceptions of their utilization of RubyPayne’s Framework of Poverty actions differ based on school levels were mixed.Certified staff members’ perceptions that they build relationships of mutual respect, teachabstract processes to students, use reframing to change behaviors, teach the hidden rulesof school, analyze the resources of their students, choose interventions based on theresources the students have available, teach formal register, and teach students how to askquestions, differ between school levels. The results also indicated that certified staffmembers agree with Payne’s key points: they understand the difference betweengenerational poverty and situational poverty, they believe under-resourced learners haveless exposure to experiences and events, believe knowledge is a form of privilege, understand family dynamics of their students, and believe students need to be taught thethree components necessary to move beyond poverty. Additionally, the results of thestudy revealed that certified staff members’ agreement with Ruby Payne’s Framework ofPoverty key points only differ based on school levels in their perceptions that theyunderstand the difference between generational poverty and situational poverty. Furtherresearch is needed to determine if continual exposure to Ruby Payne’s Framework ofPoverty training increases certified staff’s implementation