ABSTRACT
Like the sprawling root system of a mature oak tree, the impact of poverty on the schooling of America's Black and Hispanic students has deep roots. Although high-poverty schools are as likely as low-poverty schools to have gifted services, they exist with lower rates of Black and Hispanic students identified for participation. In general education classrooms, there are instructional strategies, such as differentiated instruction, graphic organizers, and independent learning stations, to help students master the curriculum based on their respective learning style and ability level. Poverty is a societal barrier that has excluded students from low-income households from wholesome educational experiences that students from middle class and wealthy families have come to expect and enjoy. The dual pandemics of racism and disease have exposed injustices at every turn and affected all communities, but they have especially wreaked havoc on diverse families living in poverty.
