The Effects of Poverty on Youth and Adolescents and the Correlation to Juvenile Delinquency
Poverty is prevalent in many different communities in the United States and has been linked to a variety of weakened outcomes among youth and adolescents (Huston, 1994; Yoshikawa, Aber, & Beardslee, 2012).These weakened outcomes include the onset of various mental health and physical health disorders, decreased academic achievement, and higher rates of involvement in juvenile crime (Wadsworth, 2008). This paper will look further into how poverty directly and indirectly correlates to the weakened outcomes of each of these specific factors among youth and adolescents. It will also pose an emphasis on how poverty, along with each of these weakened outcomes, …show more content…
There are various factors leading the academic achievement gap among youth living in poverty. These factors include funding for schools, the school environment, efficiency of teachers, parental involvement, and educational resources that are available at home (Morgan, 2012). One of the major disadvantages is that poorer communities tend to have less funding for schools. In fact, some advantaged school districts spend over twice as much per student than poorer school districts (Frost, 2007). Many schools within disadvantaged neighborhoods have also been found to have overcrowded classrooms, run-down buildings, and unkempt textbooks (Frost, 2007). Teachers within these disadvantaged systems tend to be less qualified and have less academic credentials (Robinson, 2007). More experienced teachers tend to either avoid these poor school systems or work for only short periods of time there. Teachers with lower credentials may be less likely to hold their students to the same academic standards as students in more advantaged neighborhoods (Robinson, 2007). Children living in persistent poverty are more likely to have parents who have lower levels of academic achievement. They are also more likely to live in one parent households (Kiernan & Mensah, 2011). This can result in lower academic performance, because there is a lower chance of the child attaining appropriate levels of cognitive stimulation at home (Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002). Low income households have also been associated with lower rates of parental investments of time and money into their child’s learning (Yoshikawa, Aber, & Beardslee,
Poverty is prevalent in many different communities in the United States and has been linked to a variety of weakened outcomes among youth and adolescents (Huston, 1994; Yoshikawa, Aber, & Beardslee, 2012).These weakened outcomes include the onset of various mental health and physical health disorders, decreased academic achievement, and higher rates of involvement in juvenile crime (Wadsworth, 2008). This paper will look further into how poverty directly and indirectly correlates to the weakened outcomes of each of these specific factors among youth and adolescents. It will also pose an emphasis on how poverty, along with each of these weakened outcomes, …show more content…
There are various factors leading the academic achievement gap among youth living in poverty. These factors include funding for schools, the school environment, efficiency of teachers, parental involvement, and educational resources that are available at home (Morgan, 2012). One of the major disadvantages is that poorer communities tend to have less funding for schools. In fact, some advantaged school districts spend over twice as much per student than poorer school districts (Frost, 2007). Many schools within disadvantaged neighborhoods have also been found to have overcrowded classrooms, run-down buildings, and unkempt textbooks (Frost, 2007). Teachers within these disadvantaged systems tend to be less qualified and have less academic credentials (Robinson, 2007). More experienced teachers tend to either avoid these poor school systems or work for only short periods of time there. Teachers with lower credentials may be less likely to hold their students to the same academic standards as students in more advantaged neighborhoods (Robinson, 2007). Children living in persistent poverty are more likely to have parents who have lower levels of academic achievement. They are also more likely to live in one parent households (Kiernan & Mensah, 2011). This can result in lower academic performance, because there is a lower chance of the child attaining appropriate levels of cognitive stimulation at home (Jarjoura, Triplett, & Brinker, 2002). Low income households have also been associated with lower rates of parental investments of time and money into their child’s learning (Yoshikawa, Aber, & Beardslee,