Bridges Out of Poverty is a unique and powerful tool designed specifically for social, health, and legal services professionals. Based in part on Dr. Ruby K. Payne's myth shattering A Framework for Understanding Poverty, Bridges Out of Poverty reaches out to the millions of service providers and businesses whose daily work connects them with the lives of people in poverty. In a highly readable format you'll find case studies, detailed analysis, helpful charts and exercises, and specific solutions. The Samaritan Center works with youth deeply affected by generational poverty. A thorough understanding of the hidden rules of generational poverty will improve your effort to partner with them to create opportunities for academic success. If you do not have time to read the book, this "Poverty Series" PDF may be helpful. It is aimed at teachers but hits most of the main points, though not as thoroughly as the book.

Millions of school-age children in the U.S. are under-resourced and at risk of failure in school. Financial resources are important, but mental, emotional, relational, parental, and other key resources are vital to student success. Under-Resourced Learners by Dr. Ruby Payne, Ph.D. identifies resources all students need and delivers proven, practical strategies for building up these resources for every student in every school. Teachers and administrators will find a gold mine of best practices and interventions that will change their classrooms and change the minds and lives of their students. Readers discover new ways to: assess student resources to determine the best strategies and interventions; build mental, language, relationship, and other resources into their teaching; work more effectively with parents and community representatives; increase support systems for all students and their families; and monitor every student’s progress and adjust efforts to increase student success. This book strikes at the heart of what creates hope for students. Building mutual respect with students and parents is especially powerful and makes high expectations achievable.

After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment. Watch Dr. Carol Dweck's TED talk on mindsets available on the Videos page.

In Sparks, Dr. Peter Benson, a leading authority on childhood and adolescence, describes a simple yet powerful plan for awakening the spark that lives inside each and every young person. Sparks—when illuminated and nurtured—give young people joy, energy, and direction. They have the power to change a young person’s life from one of “surviving” to “thriving.” Grounded in new research with thousands of teenagers and parents, Sparks offers a step-by-step approach to helping teenagers discover their unique gifts, and works for all families, no matter their economic status, parenting situation, or ethnic background. Watch Dr. Benson's TED talk about the value of helping young people discover and develop their "spark." Available on the Videos page.

Why do some children succeed while others fail? The story we usually tell about childhood and success is the one about intelligence: success comes to those who score highest on tests, from preschool admissions to SATs. But in How Children Succeed, Paul Tough argues that the qualities that matter more have to do with character: skills like perseverance, curiosity, optimism, and self-control.

How Children Succeed introduces us to a new generation of researchers and educators, who, for the first time, are using the tools of science to peel back the mysteries of character. Through real-life stories—and the stories of the children that educators and parents are trying to help—Tough reveals how this new knowledge can transform young people’s lives. He uncovers the surprising ways in which parents do—and do not—prepare their children for adulthood. And he provides us with new insights into how to improve the lives of children growing up in poverty.