Leadership in Education

Tackling Poverty through Professional Development Image created by LA Johnson Some Back Story: In the 2014-2015 school year, I had two teachers refer a grade 11 student named Omar to me (I’ve changed the student’s name for the sake of anonymity). He continuously handed in assignments late and would often leave uncompleted class work meant to be done outside of school. Teachers were frustrated with the student; they found that, although Omar was very bright and engaged in class, his lack of effort outside of the classroom significantly impacted his performance in their classes. When I met with Omar, he explained that his family’s financial situation was dire; he didn’t have a computer at home, let alone internet access, and he spent much of his time caring for his younger sibling. The school I taught at was in a relatively affluent area; nonetheless, staff members like me came across situations like Omar’s more frequently that most people would imagine. In an informal nee