By Norm Miller, Louisiana College News PINEVILLE (LCNews) - The societal ills poverty brings are indisputable. From health risks to increased crime rates, and from a sense of helplessness to illiteracy, poverty claims many victims. A Princeton University study states that children living below the poverty threshold “are 1.3 times as likely as non-poor children to experience learning disabilities and developmental delays.” Best-selling author Linda Karges-Bone addressed the challenges poverty levies on college students at Louisiana College’s annual faculty workshop in a presentation titled “Three Strikes and You’re In: The Truth about Meeting the Needs of First-Generation College Students Who Live in Poverty.” Bone’s research reiterated the long-standing poverty rates in Louisiana, with CenLa graphically noted among the most impoverished regions in the state. Drawing from her best-selling book, “Rich Brain, Poor Brain: Bridging Social and Synaptic Gaps in Schools,” Karges-Bone used the August 14 session to both motivate and inform faculty and staff on brain-friendly strategies to increase retention and success of all students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds. “Retention, retention, retention,” she … [Read more...]