ABSTRACT
Generally, I’m a happy, optimistic, and hopeful person. I have a tendency to look for the good in most things; however, I am skeptical about the many recent research findings that have called attention to the impact of stressors on the development of children and young people. It’s not the overly zealous conclusions researchers make about human brain development based on the study of rats and mice that bothers me. Rather it’s the nearly unanimous conclusion that what really matters in the “secret sauce” to healthy development and learning is better parenting, no excuses teaching, and more robust character traits among children and youth (Babcock 2014). There is an eerie silence among some educators and researchers when confronted with the question “what are the root causes of stress for young people in low-wealth communities in the first place?” What is needed is more balanced attention to both the policies that create and sustain poverty and therefore stress, as well as the biological, psycho-spiritual consequences of living in poverty.
