What do you think?
Rate this book
An African Centered Response to Ruby Payne's Poverty Theory
This challenge to influential educator Ruby Payne's theories about the impact of class differences and economics on teaching and learning puts forward other factors as better predictors of student performance. Pointing to success stories in schools that serve low-income students, this refutation of Payne's popular teacher-training program asserts that teacher expectations, time on task, and the principal's leadership are the main factors in determining educational outcomes at a school. Abandoning Payne's framework of teacher-student income disparities, racial makeup, and per-pupil expenditure, this critical analysis asserts the human component as the most powerful tool for improving education in failing schools.
174 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2007
2 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
September 5, 2025
SOME INCISIVE AND CONSTRUCTIVE PROPOSALS ABOUT EDUCATION OF YOUTH
Author Jawanza Kunjufu wrote in the introduction to this 2006 book, “I am an educational consultant to numerous school districts nationwide… Schools bring me into help them design and implement gap between White and African American students. I also provide workshops on reducing the number of African American males in special education and suspension and on the dropout rolls…. Over the past several years, I have noticed that some schools have been bringing Ruby Payne, an educational consultant who believes that poverty is the major factor affecting the outcome of children’s academic achievements… I have nothing personal against Ruby Payne. In fact, I agree with some of her theories, and I acknowledge her contribution to the goal of closing the academic achievement gap.” (Pg. vii)
He continues, “Public schools that serve low-income communities are not all the same; however, I find the same problems over and over again in schools that are failing African American students. The usual culprits are as follows: poor school leadership, low teacher expectations, low student time on task, irrelevant curriculums, and abundance of left-brain lesson plans, an individualistic vs. community student approach, and coed classrooms.” (Pg. ix)
He goes on, “Clearly, Ruby Payne and I understand the academic achievement gap differently. Ruby Payne blames poverty; I see many dimensions to the problem, including the larger social issues of racism and capitalism. I come from an African-centered perspective while her perspective is Eurocentric… My framework has evolved out of a sizeable body of research that documents what works with African American children---as well as my experience as an educator and consultant for schools and school districts. How convenient to choose poverty, the number of parents in the home, or the educational background of the mother as major reasons for the academic achievement gap. Ironically teachers and administrators have no control over those factors.” (Pg. x)
He explains, “This book is an African-centered response to poverty theories and deficit thinking, and I make no apologies about that. I don’t want to study poverty… we now have ‘poverty pimps.’ They can talk about poverty, make money off poverty, and write books on poverty. They can do everything but solve poverty… Let me define what I mean by African-centered. My good friend … Molefi Asante is the father of the concept of Afrocentricity. When you are African-centered, you… see the world through your own perspective.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
He proposes, “Talking about poverty does not help African American children… I see only two courses. We look at what successful schools have done in low-income areas to produce African-American children that perform above the national average , and we economically empower African American children and their families to rise out of the mire and squalor and poverty.” (Pg. xiv)
In Chapter 1, he acknowledges, “I am aware that poverty, fatherlessness, and lack of parental education are factors that impact our children’s education… Clearly, as income increases, so does academic achievement. The reverse also could be said: as income declines, so does academic achievement.” (Pg. 2)
He states, “I agree that our children must be well versed in Standard English. My concern is the approach… Several years ago there was a rumor that Oakland schools were trying to teach Black Children Ebonics… the media reported the story incorrectly… Oakland schools were not trying to teach Black children Ebonics since they already knew it. They were trying to teach new, incoming White teachers how to code switch. They were trying to teach them to view African American children as bilingual and intelligent and allow them to speak what they heard at home. Ebonics is a legitimate dialect, with rules of grammar and syntax… This is what White teachers were learning so that they would not respond negatively to students who spoke it. they learned to … understand the dialect and they have students translate (orally or in writing) to Standard English.” (Pg. 7-8)
He notes, “We have … seen discrimination based on the hue of African Americans. A light-skinner African American has a 50% better chance of getting a job than a dark-skinned African-American. I would encourage Ruby Payne and her proponents to look into the concepts of ‘good hair’ and ‘pretty eyes.’ Observe classrooms … where light-skinned children are called on more than dark-skinned children, and where teachers have higher expectations of light-skinned children. Don’t think this kind of discrimination is simply a relic of the past.” (Pg. 41)
He observes, “You would think that Ruby Payne being a female, would be furious about the feminization of poverty. This is even more acute in the African American family, where 68% of African American children are being reared in single-parent homes. This feminization of poverty needs to be addressed.” (Pg. 43)
He points out, “According to the research, boredom is the reason why our youth are dropping out of school in droves. They are bored with an irrelevant Eurocentric curriculum. We could reduce the dropout rate if we taught youth, especially African American youth and African American males, entrepreneurship. Since our youth are to into bling bling and getting paid, let us help them by providing a mandatory class in entrepreneurship.”(Pg. 51)
He suggests “power economics”: “What if we told the NBA that African Americans would no longer play until we had a greater percentage of team ownership and ancillary contracts? The same with the NFL? I respect rappers for their business acumen. What if more rappers got together and told the four distributors that control the music industry… that they were pulling out until the 50% distribution rate was reduced?... We could reduce poverty if African Americans were taught by Ruby Payne and her proponents to only buy Black hair products with the African queen on the bottle, which is the label approved by the Association of African American Health and Beauty Aids Institute. This trade organization was originally made up of 21 companies but is now down to approximately 10 because of … larger White companies buying out companies like Johnson and Soft Sheen.” (Pg. 65)
He laments, “Unfortunately, there are many liberal teachers today who allow Black children to wear their caps in the building. They allow belts to be unbuckled, pants to sag, and shoes to be untied. Ruby Payne, now that Black Youth have heard how important income is, they are playing the victim. ‘Come on, teacher, give me a grade’ or ‘I’m black and fatherless,’ Many teachers think they’re helping African Americans by employing social promotions and grade inflation---but they’re not.” (Pg. 119-120)
He observes, “83% of elementary school teachers are White and female. I’ve had to reconcile the fact, from an Afrocentric perspective, that the future of the Black race lies in the hands of White female teachers. I have also seen how dangerous African Americans can be in high places. Ward Connerly and Justice Clarence Thomas are dangerous. They do not act in the best interest of African American people.” (Pg. 124)
He asserts, “For those who believe Charles Murray and ‘The Bell Curve,’ if the problem was genetic, the achievement gap between Black and White students would be just as large in kindergarten as it is in the 12th grade. It is not. The gap widens with each passing grade.” (Pg. 155)
This book will be of great interest to those concerned about African American youth and their education.
Author Jawanza Kunjufu wrote in the introduction to this 2006 book, “I am an educational consultant to numerous school districts nationwide… Schools bring me into help them design and implement gap between White and African American students. I also provide workshops on reducing the number of African American males in special education and suspension and on the dropout rolls…. Over the past several years, I have noticed that some schools have been bringing Ruby Payne, an educational consultant who believes that poverty is the major factor affecting the outcome of children’s academic achievements… I have nothing personal against Ruby Payne. In fact, I agree with some of her theories, and I acknowledge her contribution to the goal of closing the academic achievement gap.” (Pg. vii)
He continues, “Public schools that serve low-income communities are not all the same; however, I find the same problems over and over again in schools that are failing African American students. The usual culprits are as follows: poor school leadership, low teacher expectations, low student time on task, irrelevant curriculums, and abundance of left-brain lesson plans, an individualistic vs. community student approach, and coed classrooms.” (Pg. ix)
He goes on, “Clearly, Ruby Payne and I understand the academic achievement gap differently. Ruby Payne blames poverty; I see many dimensions to the problem, including the larger social issues of racism and capitalism. I come from an African-centered perspective while her perspective is Eurocentric… My framework has evolved out of a sizeable body of research that documents what works with African American children---as well as my experience as an educator and consultant for schools and school districts. How convenient to choose poverty, the number of parents in the home, or the educational background of the mother as major reasons for the academic achievement gap. Ironically teachers and administrators have no control over those factors.” (Pg. x)
He explains, “This book is an African-centered response to poverty theories and deficit thinking, and I make no apologies about that. I don’t want to study poverty… we now have ‘poverty pimps.’ They can talk about poverty, make money off poverty, and write books on poverty. They can do everything but solve poverty… Let me define what I mean by African-centered. My good friend … Molefi Asante is the father of the concept of Afrocentricity. When you are African-centered, you… see the world through your own perspective.” (Pg. xii-xiii)
He proposes, “Talking about poverty does not help African American children… I see only two courses. We look at what successful schools have done in low-income areas to produce African-American children that perform above the national average , and we economically empower African American children and their families to rise out of the mire and squalor and poverty.” (Pg. xiv)
In Chapter 1, he acknowledges, “I am aware that poverty, fatherlessness, and lack of parental education are factors that impact our children’s education… Clearly, as income increases, so does academic achievement. The reverse also could be said: as income declines, so does academic achievement.” (Pg. 2)
He states, “I agree that our children must be well versed in Standard English. My concern is the approach… Several years ago there was a rumor that Oakland schools were trying to teach Black Children Ebonics… the media reported the story incorrectly… Oakland schools were not trying to teach Black children Ebonics since they already knew it. They were trying to teach new, incoming White teachers how to code switch. They were trying to teach them to view African American children as bilingual and intelligent and allow them to speak what they heard at home. Ebonics is a legitimate dialect, with rules of grammar and syntax… This is what White teachers were learning so that they would not respond negatively to students who spoke it. they learned to … understand the dialect and they have students translate (orally or in writing) to Standard English.” (Pg. 7-8)
He notes, “We have … seen discrimination based on the hue of African Americans. A light-skinner African American has a 50% better chance of getting a job than a dark-skinned African-American. I would encourage Ruby Payne and her proponents to look into the concepts of ‘good hair’ and ‘pretty eyes.’ Observe classrooms … where light-skinned children are called on more than dark-skinned children, and where teachers have higher expectations of light-skinned children. Don’t think this kind of discrimination is simply a relic of the past.” (Pg. 41)
He observes, “You would think that Ruby Payne being a female, would be furious about the feminization of poverty. This is even more acute in the African American family, where 68% of African American children are being reared in single-parent homes. This feminization of poverty needs to be addressed.” (Pg. 43)
He points out, “According to the research, boredom is the reason why our youth are dropping out of school in droves. They are bored with an irrelevant Eurocentric curriculum. We could reduce the dropout rate if we taught youth, especially African American youth and African American males, entrepreneurship. Since our youth are to into bling bling and getting paid, let us help them by providing a mandatory class in entrepreneurship.”(Pg. 51)
He suggests “power economics”: “What if we told the NBA that African Americans would no longer play until we had a greater percentage of team ownership and ancillary contracts? The same with the NFL? I respect rappers for their business acumen. What if more rappers got together and told the four distributors that control the music industry… that they were pulling out until the 50% distribution rate was reduced?... We could reduce poverty if African Americans were taught by Ruby Payne and her proponents to only buy Black hair products with the African queen on the bottle, which is the label approved by the Association of African American Health and Beauty Aids Institute. This trade organization was originally made up of 21 companies but is now down to approximately 10 because of … larger White companies buying out companies like Johnson and Soft Sheen.” (Pg. 65)
He laments, “Unfortunately, there are many liberal teachers today who allow Black children to wear their caps in the building. They allow belts to be unbuckled, pants to sag, and shoes to be untied. Ruby Payne, now that Black Youth have heard how important income is, they are playing the victim. ‘Come on, teacher, give me a grade’ or ‘I’m black and fatherless,’ Many teachers think they’re helping African Americans by employing social promotions and grade inflation---but they’re not.” (Pg. 119-120)
He observes, “83% of elementary school teachers are White and female. I’ve had to reconcile the fact, from an Afrocentric perspective, that the future of the Black race lies in the hands of White female teachers. I have also seen how dangerous African Americans can be in high places. Ward Connerly and Justice Clarence Thomas are dangerous. They do not act in the best interest of African American people.” (Pg. 124)
He asserts, “For those who believe Charles Murray and ‘The Bell Curve,’ if the problem was genetic, the achievement gap between Black and White students would be just as large in kindergarten as it is in the 12th grade. It is not. The gap widens with each passing grade.” (Pg. 155)
This book will be of great interest to those concerned about African American youth and their education.
June 25, 2021
I really liked Ruby Payne's Understanding Poverty book when it came out years ago, so the title of this book on display at the library really caught my eye. I was glad that the tenets of Payne's book that Dr. Kunjfu agrees with (for instance, that students, particularly in poverty, need to have a good relationship with their teachers in order to be successful), were tenets that I remembered and have tried to implement as a teacher. Published in 2006, this book seems a bit dated today, but I think it shows that the current discussions of systemic racism are not "new" ideas. More than anything, this book reminded me to stop making excuses about why my students are not succeeding and to focus on solutions.
February 15, 2023
A litany of examples in support of Dr Kunjufu's program; nothing new for those already persuaded.
June 6, 2013
The author did a much better job using valid research references than Ruby Payne does. His recommendations for closing the poverty and educational gaps sound more solid than Payne's. In my opinion, Payne's recommendations are only behavioral, while Kunjufu's may actually get more deep down to the root problems faced by impoverished Americans; particularly African Americans. However, I still get a sense of bias--much like the sense of bias I felt when reading Payne.
October 9, 2013
Wow, this book is just terrible. The author almost routinely misrepresents Ruby Payne's positions, making any ensuing "critique" worthless. Anyone (except maybe this author) can win an argument against a strawman of his own concoction. I was really interested to read a counterpoint to Payne's book, but unfortunately this book is a total waste of time.
August 15, 2007
I found this book to be biased at times. Additionally, the charts and tables were not valid due to the date of their origination. However, it lent great perspective to strategies for successful academic engagement of African American Students living in poverty.
February 24, 2009
This book makes you think about important issues- is poverty impacting success or racism? Written from a different perspective than of a white person, it makes you question your assumptions and what you consider to be truths.
November 29, 2012
Very good read that gives solutions to better schools, better teachers, better students, and starting to eradicate poverty.
April 8, 2018
Read this for a class as well. Read Ruby Paynes theories and you'll want to read this book, which is Dr. Kunjufu's response.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews